Pantry Collective

This dish is unbelievable. It is so simple and easy to prepare that it seems like it can’t possibly be as delicious as it is, but if you aren’t craving seconds when your first bowl is empty, well, I guess we have very different tastes. I can’t get enough of this dish - it’s light, but filling, sweet and savory, and meat-free since we’re trying to eat a little less meat in this house.

The second time I made it, I did it a bit differently than what is shown in the photos. I used whole wheat linguine and walnuts instead of almonds, and I cut the brussels sprouts into quarters instead of halves. All worthwhile changes, for sure, although the first version was delicious as well. You can decide for yourself - just MAKE this. Try it, even if you wince at the thought of brussels sprouts. Believe me, if you put a maple vinaigrette on something, it immediately tastes a million times better than you think it might.

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This recipe intrigued me. I really like tuna, but a very rarely cook with it (tuna sandwiches, and every now and then a tuna casserole). Spicy tuna pasta in a wine sauce sounded really yummy, but I decided to add some half-and-half to make it just a bit creamy (it seemed like the right thing to do, what can I say?). It turned out really well; John and I both enjoyed it a lot and I’m excited for the leftovers. We ate it with a side of asparagus since it’s light on veggies.

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This sauce is amazing. Roasted red peppers are so sweet and delicious, and they form a great base for this creamy pasta sauce. The original recipe at Cooking Light looked good, but seemed to lack spices. This is a common problem with “light” recipes, I’ve found - they underestimate spices all the time. The sauce is definitely improved by the addition of garlic, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper. I added a zucchini into the puree; it didn’t contribute anything, flavor-wise, but it bulked up the sauce a little and added another veggie to the dish.

Paired with sweet italian sausage, fresh parmesan cheese, and some fresh basil on top, it was a delicious, hearty pasta dish that managed to feel summery thanks to the bright, sweet tang of the peppers.

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I recently had a Lean Cuisine for lunch, Salmon with Orzo something-or-other. I didn’t like the salmon much at all, but it reminded me that I should make orzo more often. I love pasta, and the small, rice-like shape of orzo lends itself well to being mixed with lots of veggies and a bit of chicken. I think. What do I know about proper use of various pasta shapes? What I do know is that this dish was really tasty. Spicy, garlicky, full of veggies, and really satisfying. There’s no cream or anything in the dish, but it comes out tasting somewhat creamy, which is really nice. You could also add some chopped tomatoes, or any other veggie you think would work. I’ll bet this would be really good with shrimp, too. You can also eat it cold, as a pasta salad.

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This isn’t the most glamorous meal, I’ll admit. But what to do when you have half a head of broccoli, a few almost-gone carrots, and some leftover roasted chicken? I wanted to use up the veggies before they went bad, and the chicken needed to be eaten, too. I could have just heated up the chicken, steamed the veg, and made some rice, I suppose… but I had a few other ingredients on hand in the pantry that could make the meal a little more exciting than just leftovers. I’m calling this refrigerator pasta because it’s made with stuff I had hanging around in (you guessed it) the fridge. Obviously there could be many different “refrigerator pastas”; this is just one quick and easy version.

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