Often, stopping at the grocery store after work to spend 30 minutes to an hour selecting ingredients for dinner, only to head home and spend another 45 minutes preparing the dish, just isn't feasible. With a few basic ingredients that almost everyone has in their refrigerator or pantry, creating a fantastic, last minute meal is a piece of cake. Busy cooks will find themselves spending more time enjoying this meal with their family, than in the kitchen.
Last Minute Pasta Dinner
Ingredients
- 7 ounces of pasta - any kind will do, but angel hair pasta cooks up really fast
- Leftover meat like rotisserie chicken or even meat loaf cut into bite size pieces
- Assorted fresh or frozen vegetables like broccoli, onions and zucchini
- 2 TBSP of minced garlic
- 2 TBSP of olive oil
- 1-2 cups of pasta or marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
- 1-2 ladles of starchy pasta water (optional)
- 1/2 cup of sour cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add a handful of salt. Add the 7 ounces of pasta and cook until al dente. Angel hair pasta only takes about 5-6 minutes so check often to make sure the end product isn't a mushy, over-cooked pasta.
- Meanwhile, heat the 2 TBSP of olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet and add the garlic and vegetables that have been selected for this dish. Cook until the vegetables are just starting to soften. Add the meat and cook until warmed through.
- Once the pasta is al dente, scoop up with a set of tongs and add directly to the skillet of meat and vegetables. Add the marinara sauce, sour cream, the Parmesan and ricotta cheeses and stir until well incorporated. Check the consistency of the sauce. If needed, add a ladle or 2 of the starchy pasta water and toss well. The starch from the water will act as a natural thickener for the sauce and the salt from the pasta water will add flavor.
As with any recipe, customization is always wecome. Cut back on the salt and use low fat versions of the cheeses and sour cream and a high fiber pasta for a really healthy dish. Substitute shrimp for the chicken or meat loaf. Shrimp sauteed in a little bit of olive oil and garlic is not only mouth watering and delicious, but also cooks up in just about 5-6 minutes. This dinner can be prepared from start to finish in 15-20 minutes.
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