Pantry Pasta (Ultimate Recipe!)
My favorite pantry pasta of all time, this is built on hugely flavorful staple ingredients that I think every home cook should have around: balsamic vinegar, tomato pasta, onions and garlic, anchovies, olive oil, and red wine. It’s the BEST.
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3/4 to 1 pound pasta (please see note)
- Salt, as directed/needed
- 2 small sweet onions, such as Vidalia, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 anchovies (optional but highly recommended)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes (or as much as you like, or none at all)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup dry red wine (optional, the rest is for the cook)
- 6 ounce can or tube of tomato paste (double concentrated is fine, use it all!)
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Serving suggestions: Shaved parmesan, pieces of torn burrata, fresh basil, sorta-roasted cherry tomatoes, flaky salt and fresh cracked pepper.Â
Instructions
- Begin by making the sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large, deep skillet set over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are visibly caramelized (very golden brown and sweet); about 25 minutes.
- Season with a little S & P, and add the butter, anchovies, and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes to melt them into the onions, etc. Add the crushed pepper flakes, if using, and the vinegar and wine. Stir and simmer for about a minute. Lastly, add the tomato paste and stir/break it up until things look nice and mixed. It’s going to be super thick, almost like a curry paste. Reduce the heat and gently cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (you can cover to prevent splatter, if needed).
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta: Bring a big pot of salted water to a rolling boil (you want it to be salty like the sea). Boil the pasta according to the package directions. When it’s al dente (just a little bite left), use tongs to transfer it directly to the pan with the sauce/paste, along with about ½ cup of the starchy cooking water. Toss! Toss! Toss until those noodles are very well coated, adding a little more water until it seems perfect to you. Taste it, and season as you see fit.
- Serve right away, topped with a shower of cheese (if you want) and/or some fresh torn basil (again, only if you want to). Enjoy.
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Notes
NOTE: Okay, so a full pound of pasta is almost always too much for my family of 4, and I don’t love leftover pasta, so I usually only cook ¾ of a box/bag at a time, saving the rest for a later use. Then, once I’ve got another 3/4 pound, I cook that up – even if the cuts/shapes don’t match.
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