My Famous Vegetarian SWAGhetti!

When people hear that Jamie and I don't partake of meat most of the year, they often ask something like, "What do you eat then?!" Well, I'd like to answer that question by posting one of the meals we eat each week. I'll start with my favorite culinary creation: my vegetarian SWAGhetti.

First off, I'd like to point out that I've noticed that a lot of online recipes these days have a dozen-and-a-half pictures of the food at different stages along with a philosophical exploration of the importance of the meal in the ethos of the individual and the greater workings of the universe. I hate that. And I'm assuming you do too. When we go to find a recipe online, we want to know what's in it and how to prepare it. So, to spare you the work of scrolling down 15-and-a-half pages of fluff to get to what you're looking for, here is the recipe:

Ingredients (warning: I don't use exact measurements with this dish but these are my best guesses):

• Enough olive oil to cover your pan.
• 2-3 cloves worth of minced garlic.
• 1 shallot, diced.
• 1 rib of celery, diced.
• 1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced.
• 1-2 medium carrots, diced.
• 2-3 medium tomatoes, diced.
• The following seasonings to taste:
• Salt.
• Pepper.
• Herbs de Provence.
• Basil.
• Oregano.
• Lemon pepper.
• Shredded parmesan cheese.
• Noodles and the water to cook them in (we are vehemently against white noodles and only use whole wheat or vegetable noodles but it's your life—do what you want).

Instructions:

1. Get the noodles cooking following the instructions on the box (unless you're an awesome person who makes them from scratch but then you know what you're doing).
2. Heat the oil in the pan along with the garlic on medium heat (use medium heat all throughout this).
3. Add the shallot, celery, red bell pepper, and carrots to the pan. Season them with salt and pepper to the desired amount. Let them cook until the onions are transparent and the carrots are softening. Stir occasionally as they cook.
4. Add the tomatoes.
5. Season the whole thing with the salt, pepper, herbs de provence, basil, and oregano. I completely cover the tomatoes with each spice one at a time and then, when I stir it all up, it ends up being just the right amount.
6. Cook until the tomatoes are very soft. Stir occasionally.
7. Cover the whole thing with a layer of parmesan cheese and then season with lemon pepper on top of that. From this point on, do not stir as you want a nice layer of parmesan at the top for flavor and texture.
8. Once the cheese is melted, take the whole thing off the heat. Your noodles should be ready now too if you can multi-task well enough to do both at the same time.
9. Serve the sauce on top of the noodles and enjoy wonderful SWAGhetti!