Since we are eating bigger lunches and itty bitty dinners these days, I was looking for a good, quick pasta dish to make the other day (I will not live in a world without pasta, I don't care how healthy I am trying to be), and I came across this one. After tweaking it a bit for my family, I tested it, and it was a hit!
I hope it is for your family too!
Here goes:
In a good sized pot, dump a bunch of uncooked pasta. I used roughly 12 oz, and I think I will be eating it all week. Also, I used penne. Because I love penne. Feel free to use whatever you love. Here it is:
To the uncooked pasta add a handful of fresh basil:
Just chop it up and throw it in there. It's pretty. See:
Guess what? I got that basil right off of my own basil plant. Grew it right on my porch. I guess I can grow something after all. *Stands back in amazement, nearly collapses*
Than add a can of diced tomatoes:
You could use fresh tomatoes too, if you have the time. I didn't, so canned it was. Would it help if they were low sodium? In the interest of full disclosure, they weren't. Oh well.
A whole lot of fresh garlic. Really. A. Whole. Lot. Because garlic is good:
About a 1/4 cup of white wine, give or take (mostly give, of course. Duh.):
And 1/2 a sliced onion:
Now give it all a good mix...
...And add about 3 1/2 - 4 cups of broth. I used chicken, but you could use veggie if that is your thing:
A drizzle of olive oil:
And a pinch of Oregano, which I forgot to take a picture of. *Sigh*
Give it all another good stir, bring it to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and let it go for about 7-10 minutes, stirring it every few minutes. Remember, it is going to keep cooking after you turn off the heat, so better to stop a little underdone than to get it just perfect and have it be mushy 5 minutes later.
That's it. Seriously. The pasta cooks in the broth, and what you are left with is a saucy pasta dish chock full of flavor. Add whatever you want from there. I plan to add some grilled chicken next time. Oh, and sprinkle some parmesan over it. That would probably make it perfect.
Quick. Easy. One pot. What more could I want?
Except maybe some bread to go with it. Because we all know how I feel about bread. Very similar to how I feel about coffee.
What is your favorite fast lunch?