Pantry Pasta
Pantry Pasta is a great option if you are low on stocks and don’t want to go to the store. The base is made from ingredients typically in your cupboards such as pasta and parmesan. The recipe is quite good on its own but you can throw in whatever else you have around such as leftover meat or veggies.
Pantry Pasta Ingredients:
- Pasta – you can use any type of pasta that you have on hand
- Salt
- Butter or olive oil
- Parmesan finely grated
- Cracked Black Pepper
Pantry Pasta Directions:
Boil the pasta in salted water (the ratio is 1 Tbs of salt to 4 cups of water) as per the cooking instructions on the box. You want it to be al dente. When the pasta is about 5 minutes from being done, heat up a saute pan to medium-high and add either butter, olive oil, or a combination of the to your pan. The amount is going to vary depending on how much pasta you are cooking but the idea is to have a nice thick covering at the bottom of your pan. As soon as the oil starts to ripple, add a 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to the saute pan along with the cooked pasta. Reserve a cup of the pasta water if needed.
Drain the pasta and add it to the saute pan along with the oil and water mixture. Turn the heat down to medium then sprinkle the top of the pasta with finely grated parmesan and cracked black pepper then fold. Sprinkle again with more parmesan and pepper then fold again. Keep adding more cheese until the mixture looks sufficiently cheesy for your tastes. If it starts to look a little dry, you can add more pasta water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce is glossy again.
Feel free to toss in whatever else you have on hand or eat as is. This is a pretty versatile recipe that pairs well with anything from white to red wine! Cheers!
