edible
PA N T R Y
Quick Pasta Cooking When There’s Nothing in the House for Dinner by Krista Harris
Shopping List Pasta — penne, fusilli and orecchiette (or your favorite shapes) 1 (15 -ounce) can of tomato sauce 2 (15-ounce) cans of crushed, diced or peeled tomatoes 6 -ounce tube of tomato paste 1 (15-ounce) can of cannellini or white beans 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans 1 (14-ounce) can of artichoke hearts (in water or oil) Sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil Small can or jar of anchovies (optional) Kalamata olives Capers Garlic (preferably fresh, but in a jar if necessary) Pine nuts or blanched slivered almonds (optional) Breadcrumbs Red pepper flakes Dried oregano or Herbes de Provence dried herb blend Kosher salt Black pepper Olive oil Red wine (optional)
28 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA SUMMER /FALL 2020
A
lot of us have been cooking at home more and going to the grocery store less often. At some point, you may look in the refrigerator and think to yourself that there is nothing to make for dinner. So it’s a good idea to have some standby pantry staple recipes that are quick, easy and delicious. These meals have the added bonus of being made from fairly inexpensive ingredients, and they don’t use a lot of pots and pans. So they are easy on the budget and cleanup is simple. My definition of a pantry meal is that it has to be made from ingredients that are shelf stable and always in my pantry. Pasta meals are the perfect solution. You can always jazz these up with some fresh ingredients or something you’ve defrosted from your freezer or serve them with a fresh salad. But at least you know that in a pinch, if you have just these ingredients in your pantry, you and your family will not go hungry. At left is a list of the pantry basics I like to have on hand. With this list, you can make all three of the following pantry dinners. And they are all so good that you might just find yourselft making them even when there is plenty in your refrigerator for dinner.
