Have you ever found yourself without anything planned for dinner? Have you ever been out of milk, eggs, bread, cereal, AND chicken nuggets all at the same time? Yeah, me neither. But….if this situation were ever to befall you, a well stocked pantry is a life saver.
A well stocked pantry doesn’t mean it’s full. It means you have the key ingredients necessary to make any number of meals at a moment’s notice. These are a few things you should have on hand at all times: whole canned tomatoes, a block of Parmesan cheese, pasta, garlic, and red wine. And if you don’t have some basil and mint growing, then get planting. They are the easiest to grow, all you have to do is water them! This sauce is my go-to pantry meal, the kids love it, and I’ve even served it to last minute guests.
Quick Pantry Marinara
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 large can whole tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
2-3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (basil, thyme, rosemary, organo)
salt and pepper, to taste
big handful of fresh basil
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
In a large stockpot, start the water for the pasta. HINT: put a lid on the pot and the water will boil faster. When the water boils, salt it well, and add the pasta. I typically use about half a box of angel hair for our family of 5.
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and red pepper flakes and stir. Crush tomatoes with your hand, and then add them to the skillet (you can make the sauce as chunky or smooth as you like). Add the wine, sugar (to taste), a big pinch of salt, a little pepper, Italian seasoning, and a about a tablespoon of chopped fresh basil, and let the sauce simmer while you wait for the pasta water to boil and the pasta to cook (about 10 minutes, more or less). Add the cooked and drained pasta directly to the skillet, stir well, and garnish with torn fresh basil and plenty of Parmesan cheese.
