Free Meals in a Jar by Julie Languille Page B

4 bags add:
• 1 bag peas
    To 4 bags add:
• 1 pint or bag chicken
• 1 bag broccoli
    To 4 bags add:
• 1 pint or bag ham
• 1 bag peas
    To 4 bags add:
• 1 pint or bag chicken
• 1 bag mushrooms

    Label each bag:
    Fill a large pot three-quarters full with water, add salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Place vegetables in a small pot and ladle a cup or two of boiling water over the vegetables, set on the stove, and let simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes or until they’re rehydrated and tender. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Open the package of ham or chicken and drain, reserving the juices. In a small pot, heat Alfredo sauce (if using prepared), or mix together powdered mix, reserved chicken or ham juices, and enough water (about 1 cup) to make a creamy sauce. Add the chicken or ham and the vegetables to the sauce and cook until heated through. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Combine the pasta and sauce, and stir to coat. Add the reserved water, as needed, to thin the sauce. Serve sprinkled with breadcrumb topping. Serves 8 .

Pasta with Vegetable Sauce in 4 Varieties
    “It’s just vegetables and sauce,” you say. “How good could that be?” Let me tell you: really good. The vegetables cook in salted water, then the pasta is cooked in the same water for added flavor. Then you mash the tender vegetables with lovely, buttery ghee (try it with brown butter ghee) and nutty Parmesan cheese and toss it with the pasta. Throw in a handful of buttery pistachios for crunch. Delicious!
    Makes 16 (6 to 8-serving) meals, 4 each of 4 varieties
    Ingredients
    2 cups salt
    8 cups dehydrated broccoli
    8 cups dehydrated peas
    8 cups dehydrated cauliflower
    8 cups dehydrated mushrooms
    2 pounds Parmesan cheese
    8 cups shelled pistachios (optional) 16 (1-pound) bags pasta (a variety of shapes would be lovely)
    16 (1/4-pint) jars ghee (4 pounds total)
    Instructions
    For salt: In each of 16 small zip-top bags, add and then seal:
• 2 tablespoons salt
    For vegetables: In each of 16 vacuum bags, add and then seal:
• 2 cups of one type of vegetable: broccoli, peas, cauliflower, or mushrooms
    For cheese: You’ll need 16 (4-ounce) servings of Parmesan to create all 24 ready-made meals. The cheese can be finely grated Parmesan (like Kraft brand) vacuum-sealed into 4-ounce servings, or you can vacuum-seal or wax 4-ounce chunks of cheese and grate the cheese at time of use.
    For pistachios: In each of 16 vacuum bags, add and then seal:
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) pistachios

    Ready-Made Meal Assembly
    In each of 8 Mylar bags, tote bags, or vacuum bags, store:
• 1 pound pasta
• 1 bag salt
• 1 bag vegetables
• 1 jar ghee
• 1 package Parmesan cheese
• 1 bag pistachios (optional)

    Label all but mushroom bags:
    Fill a large pot two-thirds full with water and add the salt. Warm over medium-high heat, and when hot, add the vegetables and bring to a low simmer. Cook until vegetables are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Using a big slotted spoon, fish out the vegetables and place in a large bowl near the stove to keep warm. Set the heat under the pot of water to high and bring to a boil, adding more water if needed to cook the pasta. Cook pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, drizzle the vegetables with the ghee and smash with the back of the spoon. Grate the cheese and add to the vegetables. When the pasta is done, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and combine with the vegetable mixture. Toss to coat and add back as much of the reserved pasta water as needed to make a lovely sauce. Chop the pistachios, if using, and sprinkle on top of the pasta to serve. Serves 6 to 8 .

    Label each mushroom bag:
    Fill a large pot two thirds full with water and add salt. Warm over medium-high heat, and when hot, add the vegetables and bring to a low simmer. Place mushrooms in a large heatproof bowl and pour in enough hot water to just cover. Let soak until rehydrated and tender,