Stuff I Had in the Pantry Edition
I spent the better part of Sunday buying materials and constructing a giant 8’x4’x4′ cage for my garden bed. There are varmints (I suspect squirrels, chipmunks, AND raccoons) tearing the hell out of my vegetables! I’ve replanted my green beans, had to get a totally new cucumber plant that got torn out AGAIN, and they ate my tiny green peppers! ENOUGH! Because of all this construction, I hadn’t planned dinner. So, we ended up with whatever I had. Which leads me to:
You should ALWAYS have pantry staples on hand! I always have various boxes of pasta: bowtie, spaghetti, linguini or fettuccine, penne, lasagna, elbows… You never know what you’re going to need and when, and it lasts for ages so stock up! I also always have garlic and canned tomatoes on hand, along with tomato paste. The paste in the tube is PERFECT. Rarely do I make anything I need an entire 6 oz can for, so you can just squeeze out a tablespoon or two at a time. Invest in a decent bottle of balsamic vinegar, you won’t regret it and a little goes a LONG way. I’ve already lectured you on good Parmesan cheese, and I have basil growing in a pot on the deck. So, throw all that together and you have a pretty darned good tomato sauce that was ready to eat in 20 minutes!
I measured nothing! I had about 6 leftover anchovies from last week, so I chopped them up with 2 cloves of garlic and let it sweat out and melt in some olive oil. Added a couple of squeezes of tomato paste and let it toast just a little. Then stir in your tomatoes, break them up with a spoon as they cook. I added a pinch of red pepper flakes, a pinch of sugar, S&P and a little dried Italian seasoning, and let it cook down until the sauce thickened. I ALWAYS stir about a spoonful of balsamic vinegar into anything tomato-based. It adds just the right punch and makes the flavor a little deeper. My secret ingredient!
I used fettuccine for this one because it was the box on top, lol. Spaghetti would have worked just as well. I always drain my pasta and stir it into the sauce vs. just putting the sauce on top. Get those noodles coated! I finished it off with a hit of parm and some chopped basil. It was super yum, easy, and other than splattering all over my stove, was a breeze. So my advice is, stock your staples and have them on hand for those busy or lazy days!
Cheers! ~ Jen
Kellie
says:I love when my sauce gets saucy with me. Looks delicious Jen, glad you’re both doing well!🍻💕
jenniferbrett99
says:Ha! There’s no short supply of saucy around here. 🙂