Quick Pasta Cooking

edible PANTRY

Quick Pasta Cooking

When There’s Nothing in the House for Dinner

by Krista Harris

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 the end of the article 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 dinner recipes. And they are all so good that you might just find yourself making them even when there is plenty in your refrigerator for dinner.

Spicy Tomato Pasta

This is a hybrid of an arrabbiata sauce and a puttanesca sauce. It is ridiculously easy and smells so good that it makes your mouth water as you are making it. Like all these recipes, it can easily be doubled to serve more. Don’t be turned off by the anchovy—you can leave it out if you like and the flavor will still be robust.

This is an all-pantry recipe, but you can easily add more to it, depending on what you have on hand. If you have access to fresh basil or parsley, chop it up or tear off a few leaves and add to the pasta right before serving. It’s also good served along with some grilled fish or chicken.

Makes 2 servings

6 ounces penne pasta (or your favorite shape)

Olive oil

Red pepper flakes

1–2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 anchovy fillets, optional

15-ounce can of tomato sauce

A splash of red wine or water

8–10 kalamata black olives, pitted and cut in half

2 tablepoons capers, drained

Bring a medium-size pot of salted water to boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and reserve a little of the pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, add a generous amount of olive oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red pepper flakes— a pinch or about ¼ teaspoon depending on how spicy you’d like it. Add the garlic and the anchovies, if you are using them. Crush the anchovies into the oil and garlic and cook until just softened and combined.

Add the tomato sauce, adding a splash of red wine or water to the can to rinse out the tomato sauce and add that to the skillet. Add the olives and capers.

Reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 10–15 minutes, taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

After draining the cooked pasta, add it to the skillet and stir to combine. Add a little of the reserved pasta water, if it needs thinning. Serve immediately, adding chopped fresh basil or parsley if you have it.

. . . . .

Pasta with Tomatoes and White Beans

Although this is similar to the previous recipe, it showcases cannellini beans. I’ve used canned beans to make it a quick dinner, but in an ideal world you’d use soaked and cooked dried beans. Beans, and canned beans in particular, can be a bit bland, so the key to this recipe is to season it well with salt and pepper. The toasted bread crumbs are a great substitute for Parmesan cheese. Although if you do have fresh Parmesan, feel free to add it as a garnish. Another nice touch is to top it with a drizzle of either plain olive oil or a garlic or herb infused olive oil.

As with the previous recipe, this can be jazzed up if you have some fresh ingredients. It’s very nice to add some fresh spinach. Just toss it in at end and cook until just barely wilted.

Makes 2 servings

6 ounces fusilli pasta (or your favorite shape)

Olive oil

1 ⁄4 cup dried bread crumbs, crushed so that they are fine

Salt and pepper

Dried oregano or Herbes de Provence

1–2 cloves of garlic, minced

15-ounce can of cannellini or white beans, rinsed and drained

15-ounce can of crushed, diced or peeled tomatoes

Bring a medium-size pot of salted water to boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and reserve a little of the pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, add olive oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir constantly until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Wipe out the pan and return to heat adding more olive oil and the garlic and a generous pinch of the dried herbs. As soon as the garlic begins to soften, add the beans and an additional drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Sauté the beans until coated with the olive oil, then add the tomatoes. If your tomatoes are whole, break them up with a wooden spoon. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 15–20 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning.

After draining the cooked pasta, add it to the skillet and stir to combine. Add a little of the reserved pasta water, if it needs thinning. If you have fresh spinach, add it and stir until just wilted.

Serve immediately, topped with the toasted breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive oil—if you have a garlic or herb infused olive oil, this a great time to use it.

. . . . . .

Pasta with Chickpeas and Artichokes

This is inspired by Victoria Granof’s recipe for Pasta con Ceci from her book Chickpeas. I love her one-pot method and customized it to accommodate some tried-and-true pantry ingredients.

Makes 2 servings

Pine nuts or blanched slivered almonds (optional, but they are a great touch)

Olive oil

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Some finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes with their oil, about a tablespoon

2–3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon kosher salt, and more later to taste if needed

15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

14-ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

A couple tablespoons or a handful of pitted kalamata olives, whole or cut in half, optional

6 ounces pasta (a small shape such as orecchiette, ditalini or macaroni)

2 cups hot or boiling water

Salt and pepper

Add a small handful of pine nuts (or almonds) to a large skillet or large shallow Dutch oven over medium heat and stir until just lightly toasted. Remove and set aside.

Add a generous amount of olive oil to the skillet (about 4 tablespoons) over medium heat and add a pinch of red pepper flakes and the garlic, cooking it until the garlic becomes golden brown. Add the sun-dried tomatoes with their oil and the tomato paste and cook for another 30 seconds.

Then add the chickpeas, olives, artichoke hearts, pasta and hot water, stirring to combine all the ingredients and scraping any browned areas of the skillet.

Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. Most of the liquid should be absorbed and it should be a nice saucy consistency. If the liquid is almost completely absorbed before 15 minutes, cover the skillet for the last few minutes. If it is too soupy, cook uncovered slightly longer to thicken it.

Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately topped with a drizzle of olive oil and the toasted pine nuts or almonds, if you are using them.

Krista Harris is the editor and publisher of Edible Santa Barbara. She loves cooking more than she loves cleaning and is grateful to have a husband who insists on doing the dishes.

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)