A really good pantry pasta is truly one of my favorite dinners. What’s a pantry pasta? Well, that’s a great question! To me, a pantry pasta is a very simple pasta dish made up of mostly pantry staple ingredients. That could be dry pasta, jarred peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, garlic, maybe a basil pesto, and so much more. With a little help from the pantry you can create a mouth-watering dinner in minutes. It’s true. I know, because I am kind of a pro at it… I mean, kind of, I just love throwing ingredients I have on hand together to create something awesome and easy. Today’s pasta is just that. It’s a mix of my all-time favorite pantry and fridge staple ingredients. OK, and then some burrata cheese, because if you know me even a little, you know that burrata is a staple in my fridge at all times. Also? Let’s talk about fridge staples for a minute. Just like the pantry, you should keep your fridge stocked with certain items too. Ingredients like lemons, hard cheeses, yogurts, and root vegetables keep for weeks. So be sure to have the items you use most often on hand. Just a little Wednesday tip for ya. Moving along… So, as I’ve not mentioned, this pasta is quick and easy. To start, boil the pasta! I used rigatoni, but to be honest, any cut of pasta works here. I do think I prefer a short cut, but I’m sure spaghetti or bucatini would work as well. Use what you love. While the pasta is boiling, get started on the sauce. The sun-dried tomatoes are the star ingredient, as they add the bulk of the flavor. I like to use both the tomatoes AND the oil the tomatoes are packed in to create an extra flavorful sauce. Sun-dried tomatoes are a pricy ingredient, so why not use up every last bit of that jar, you know? To that, add in some garlic, dried oregano, and chili flakes for a nice kick. Now, this step is important, reserve some of the pasta cooking water. The water is KEY to creating the sauce for this pasta dish, so do not skip this step. Once you’ve reserved the pasta water, drain the pasta. Add a little bit of the reserved water to the skillet, then add the hot pasta, a little parmesan, and fresh basil (you can also use dried basil if you don’t have fresh on hand). At this point, the pasta is done and ready to be devoured. Spoon the pasta into bowls, add burrata, and finish each bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil. Then add a sprinkle of sea salt and crushed black pepper…maybe some more basil too. DONE. And now you see, right? The quickest, easiest, pantry pasta that’s anything but boring. And yes, I did use fresh basil and parsley, which are not pantry staples. BUT I do usually have both in my fridge at all times. That said, if you don’t have fresh herbs, you can also use dried, which are pantry staples! While I can’t say I make this exact pasta weekly, I do make a version of it pretty dang often. I say version only because I never usually make the same recipe twice. Unless I’m testing it for the blog, in which case I remake it many times until it is just right. Sun-dried tomatoes are one of my most loved pantry staples. I think they add so much to a dish, so I always, always have them on hand…along with pasta and burrata cheese, because with these 3 ingredients you can do wonderful things, any night of the week. And with that, do you have pasta? Do you have sun-dried tomatoes? Do you have burrata? You do, right… Great! Dinner tonight is solved. Enjoy! If you make this quick pantry pasta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
