Pantry Pasta:

Pantry Pasta:

I was talking to my brilliant and beautiful friend Michelle yesterday and she gave me the inspiration for this week’s column, a quick and easy meal that can quickly whipped together with ingredients from my pantry. As I looked through my pantry I found the one staple that EVERYONE has…pasta! My parents, who just got back from a wonderful trip to Rome (while I had to stay home and work ), had told me about a delicious pasta dish they had on their trip that had artichoke hearts and kalamata olives. Hmm… these two ideas had the makings of a delicious dinner… The last thing any of us want to do at the end of the day is rush to the grocery store to buy ingredients for a quick, week-night meal. So I searched through my pantry to see what ingredients I had to make my own version of their Roman pasta with artichoke hearts and kalamata olives.

Pantry Pasta:

1 Box whole-wheat pasta

1 Jar sundried tomatoes

1 Jar artichoke hearts (or can)

1 Jar kalamata olives

1 Can pinto beans; rinsed and drained

Extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tsp Garlic powder

1 tbsp Dried Italian seasoning

Salt and Pepper

Cook the pasta according to the box directions and before draining reserve ½ C of the cooking liquid. In a large skillet sauté the sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and beans in extra virgin olive oil, just to warm the ingredients. Toss in the pasta, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Any of these ingredients can be substituted for the ingredients you have in your own pantry… white pasta, canned tomatoes, butter beans, black olives, etc.