Turn plant stems into the stars of the meal—and honor Mother Earth in the process—with this delicious, low-waste pasta sauce recipe. Simply gather whatever's left on your cutting board, be it carrot tops or broccoli, herb, cauliflower, or mushroom stems, and combine with pantry staples for a comforting, veggie-forward dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups of any green veggie scraps you have on hand (like broccoli, cauliflower, and herb stems, carrot tops, and/or beet greens)
• 4 cloves skin-on garlic, smashed
• 1 skin-on shallot or ¼ onion, chopped
• ¼ cup mushroom stems, chopped
• Lemon peel or juice from one small lemon
• ⅓ cup seeds (like pumpkin, sunflower, hemp, or pine nuts)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt + pepper to taste
• 2 servings of cooked pasta

DIRECTIONS

1. Sauté garlic + onion skins in oiled pan until fragrant and softened.
2. Add in finely chopped mushroom stems and sauté, stirring often for 2 minutes.
3. Add sautéed garlic, onion, and mushrooms into a blender with all the greens, vegetable scraps, and lemon peel. Blend on high, adding water until the sauce is to your preferred consistency.
4. Add in seeds and olive oil and blend again until smooth.
5. Transfer sauce to a pot and heat gently over low. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Drop cooked pasta into the sauce and coat well.
7. Top with seeds and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!