Pasta is the kind of dish everyone enjoys and goes back to. It’s almost as magical as pizza.
Moreover, it’s something you can prepare quite quickly when you don’t have time or energy to cook something else.
But what else do you need when you have delicious, semi-healthy and not too long to prepare homemade meal.
It’s always good to have a couple of recipes you can make whenever you’re in a hurry or just can’t think of something else. I call it ‘the safe zone’.
And, what’s great about pasta is that there’s so much you can do to diversify it.
So, here are a couple of easy-to-make pasta dishes you may put into your go-to recipe jar. Make sure to try them out!
Penne pasta with tomato and mushroom sauce
What you need:
- 1 pound of penne pasta of your choice
- 2 medium onions
- 8oz of button mushrooms
- 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup of fresh herbs (oregano, parsley, etc. – chopped)
- 1 cup of sliced basil leaves
- 3tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup of dry red vine
- 1/2tsp of ground black pepper
- 1tsp of salt
How to make:
- Prepare your ingredients. Dice onions, slice mushrooms and basil, mince garlic and chop herbs.
- Boil your pasta for as long as the package instructions require. (Don’t forget to turn it off and drain the water in time).
- While that’s being cooked, start making tomato and mushroom sauce. For that matter, find a large sauce pan, pour all of your olive oil in it and heat that up on medium heat setting.
- Add onions, 1/2tsp of salt, 1/4tsp of pepper, cover your pan with a lid and keep cooking for about 8 minutes, so that the onions become transparent and soft.
- After that, add the mushrooms to that pan.
- Cover it with the lid and keep cooking for 5-6 minutes.
- Pour the wine into the pan and keep in on the stove for additional 3 minutes. (Don’t cover it with a lid this time).
- Throw all the herbs, along with the rest of salt and pepper into the saucepan and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and basil and keep the sauce on the stove until it’s all heated through.
- Serve your pasta with the sauce and sprinkled cheese on top.
Linguini and chicken pasta
What you need:
- Linguini pasta of your choice
- 3 medium chicken breasts
- 1 onion
- 2 small chili peppers
- Parmesan cheese (feel free to add as much as you want)
- 1/2 cup of parsley
- olive oil
- garlic fry spray
How to make:
- Prepare your ingredients. Chop chicken breasts into small pieces, dice onions, chop chili peppers and parsley, and shred Parmesan cheese.
- Boil your pasta according to instructions on its packaging.
- Take a frying pan, add a little bit of olive oil, garlic spray and onions on it and start frying the chicken breasts.
- Fry that on medium heat until chicken pieces become almost golden. Don’t forget to stir everything from time to time.
- After that, add chilies and parsley into the pan and continue cooking for additional 10 minutes.
- Once everything is done, transfer your linguini pasta onto the plates and serve it with chicken sauce and cheese on top.
Vegan avocado spaghetti
What you need:
- spaghetti (12oz)
- 2 medium avocados
- 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup of canned corn kernels
- 1/2 cup of basil leaves
- 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2tbsp of lemon juice
- Salt and ground black pepper (to your taste)
How to make:
- Prepare your ingredients. Peel, seed and half your avocadoes and chop cherry tomatoes in half.
- Boil spaghetti in salted water following the package directions. Drain it and set aside.
- While spaghetti is being cooked, take care of the sauce. Take your food processor (regular blender will do the job) and blend avocadoes along with basil, garlic and lemon juice in it.
- Add salt, pepper and olive oil into the blender’s bowl and continue blending until the sauce is all smooth.
- Grab a large bowl or pot and combine pasta with the green sauce.
- Stir fresh halved cherry tomatoes and corn into the pasta and transfer it onto the plates. Enjoy your meal!
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