#KitchenClearout - using leftover pasta

I really didn't think I would manage to join in Kitchen Clearout at Madhouse Family Reviews this month, as we've been away so much that we've been keeping the fridge pretty empty and just buying things on an as-needed basis.

However the recent hot, sticky weather has dulled our appetites a bit and over the last few days the fridge has filled up with odds and ends, so I threw some together to make this dish. Mark asked what it is called, and I said "Pasta". So here we have the highly imaginatively named

 

PASTA

To serve two people I used:

A bowl of leftover cooked pasta
half a red onion
4 rashers of streaky bacon
3 small tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
a couple of tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan
a small knob of butter
black pepper and dried oregano

Chop the onion and bacon finely and place in a cold pan. Heat the pan slowly until the fat runs out of the bacon, then increase the heat and fry until the bacon is crispy and the onions soft. Stir in the pasta, pepper, a good pinch of oregano and a knob of butter, reduce the heat and toss everything together for 3 or 4 minutes until the pasta is thoroughly heated. Mix in the tomatoes and Parmesan and continue to cook for another couple of minutes until  the tomatoes have warmed through and started to very slightly soften but not break up.

As we had a few leaves of salad, the remains of some home made quick-pickled red onions and half a bowl of red cabbage coleslaw in the fridge, we served it with those.

Result - a quick, tasty and colourful meal that feels as if it cost absolutely nothing at all - and freed up a whole shelf in the fridge.