The Random-Ingredient Recipe

My hodge-podge dinner: complete with a creeping skull!

After being away last weekend, I knew my food stocks were low and my weeknight cooking would be thrown off. Lo and behold last Monday I came home from work starving, but in a creative mood! I assessed what I had and was determined to throw something healthy, satisfying and delicious together. On hand, I found 1 zucchini, 1 potato, 1/2 onion, 1 can(tin) Cannellini beans, some frozen kale, leftover canned pumpkin, some light cream cheese and my usual stock of spices. A random assortment for sure, but I thought I could make it work!

This is what I was working with, kids!

And work it did!  I was super surprised my mad scientist creation came together; it just goes to show how some improvisation can go along way and that it's a-ok to break from the cookbook!

Try it for yourself, or better yet use this recipe as inspiration for those nights you don't have enough energy for the supermarket, but perchance an experiment in cooking!

Lauren's Hodge-Podge Wonder

1 zucchini, spiralized
1 potato, shredded or cubed
1/2 onion, diced
1 can Cannellini beans, rinsed
about 1 cup kale (frozen or fresh)
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup light cream cheese
2 gloves garlic, minced
assorted spices
salt & pepper to taste
Parmesean cheese to dust

First, heat the oven to 425F and lay out a pan for the spiralized zucchs. Pat the zucchini to get excess water off and lay on the pan. Drizzle with some olive oil, salt and pepper and put in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Frying away, sensibly of course!

In a small frying pan, heat up about a teaspoon of olive oil for the onion, garlic and half of the potato. When I made this, I fried about half of a cubed potato and spiralized the rest. Soften the onions and turn heat low to cook the potato.

Genius close-up

In a medium frying pan, use the remaining spiralized potato to fry with the Cannellini beans. Season with spices and splash some white wine vinegar. After about 10 minutes or until the potato is softened, throw in the kale, pumpkin and cream cheese at low heat. Let the mixture turn into a sauce-like consistency. You may need to add some water to loosen.

Stop! Layer time!

Once the potato seems to be cooked, it's time to start assembling! I did a later of the zucchini and potato/onion on the bottom and then ladled the bean mixture over top. I finished off with a dusting of Parmesean cheese and voila! Hodge-podge dinner is served!!

Impressive, if I do say so myself!