Dollars to Donuts posts Tagged ‘pasta’

5 Ways to Use up a Handful of Pasta

Posted by Dawn Welch

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Does your pantry suffer from random pasta syndrome? You know, when 3 or 4 boxes each holding barely 1 serving of pasta begin to clutter the shelves? Don’t stress it—there are great ways to use up those odds and ends. Boil it up (cook different shapes separately, as they may have different cooking times) and have fun.

  1. Add to a frittata (add the boiled pasta to the egg mixture when it just starts setting up in the pan, top with cheese, and run under the broiler).
  2. Mix with canned beans, olive oil, and herbs for a healthy lunch.
  3. Toss with a single serving of chili or lentils.
  4. Make a kitchen-sink pasta casserole (cook all of your pastas and then layer in a casserole dish with sauce, cheese, and vegetables or chunks of sausage, and top with more cheese before baking until bubbly).
  5. Sweeten with cinnamon sugar and butter to satisfy a dessert craving.

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Sicilian Pasta with Tuna and Capers

Posted by Dawn Welch

sicilianpasta

Canned tuna is a great value, so why just use it for tuna salad? Paired with pasta and capers, it makes a great, rustic, and flavorful dinner that seems fancy even though it’s pretty bare bones.

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Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1⁄3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 can (28 ounces) chopped tomatoes with juice (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon + 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 pound spaghetti
2 cans (6 ounces each) olive oil–packed tuna, drained
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1⁄2 lemon

Make the sauce. Pour the oil into a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook gently over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 to 11⁄2 minutes. Add the parsley and capers and cook for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium-low, add 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt, and simmer gently until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Boil the pasta. While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil with the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until it is al dente. Reserve 1⁄4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Add the tuna and serve. Break the tuna into small flakes and add to the sauce along with the pepper. Add the sauce and the butter to the pasta, tossing gently until the butter is completely melted (add a little pasta water if the pasta seems dry). Squeeze the lemon half over the pasta, toss, divide the pasta among 4 bowls, and serve.

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