Pantry Pasta - Canned Tomatoes

When all this COVID-19 craziness started, and the grocery stores began to run out items, I took stock of what we had in our pantry and made a list of food to stock up on before things got out of hand. I’d watched enough “end of days” movies and shows to know that the shortage would get worse before it got better–though I did NOT see the toilet paper shortage coming…that still baffles me.

Thankfully, we had just bought a massive bag of toilet paper and we had dried pasta for days, but my supply of canned tomatoes was slim. Adrian was doing the grocery store runs. I put together a list for him. Top of the list:

“Canned Tomatoes—all varieties!!”

Intrigued by this, he asked why in the world I would want canned tomatoes so desperately…I don’t typically use canned items in my cooking. I explained that canned tomatoes were one of those extremely versatile pantry staples. From a can of diced tomatoes, you can make soup, pasta sauce, salsa, and a million and one-skillet-chicken-meals. Crushed tomatoes are another favorite. They basically do the work of diced tomatoes, but the results are usually more on the hearty side.

Needless to say, he was skeptical.

We are now three months into “Sheltering-in-Place” and Adrian has become a canned tomato believer. I’ve managed to produce delicious soups, stews, pastas, tacos, skillet meals, and crock pot creations all stemming from a singular can of tomatoes. They’re the miracle pantry food.

I have tons of canned tomato recipes that I’ll share both here and on social media, but since I’m on a roll with pasta recipes, here are my top three favorite canned tomato pasta sauce recipes.

Enjoy and happy cooking!

TOMATO BASIL PASTA

· Pasta of your choice

· 2 Tbsp olive oil

· 1 onion, diced

· 3 garlic cloves, minced

· ¼ cup white wine

· 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

· Basil, fresh or dried

· Salt & Pepper, to taste

· Fresh parmesan

How To:

Set a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook preferred pasta according to package instructions, making sure to cook just under al dente (the pasta will continue to cook in the sauce.)

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over med-high heat, heat olive oil. Once oil is hot, add your onions and sauté until soft.

Drop your heat down to medium and add your garlic. Cook until just fragrant—you do not want to burn your garlic. Burnt garlic can ruin an entire dish! I speak from experience.

Add the white wine and let reduce down about half.

Add the canned tomatoes and basil.

Season with salt and pepper.

If you’ve managed your time well, your pasta should be finished at the same time your sauce is wrapping up. Add the pasta directly into the skillet with about ¾ cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

Bring to a slight boil and stir, letting the sauce reduce down and thicken slightly.

Add parmesan and toss to coat.

Serve with more parmesan and fresh basil, if you’ve got it.

TOMATO & PEPPER PASTA

· Pasta of your choice

· 2 Tbsp olive oil

· 1 onion, diced

· 1-2 bell peppers, diced (red, orange, or yellow)

· 3 garlic cloves, minced

· 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

· Herb or your choice, fresh or dried

· Salt & Pepper, to taste

· Fresh parmesan

How To:

Set a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook preferred pasta according to package instructions, making sure to cook just under al dente (the pasta will continue to cook in the sauce.)

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over med-high heat, heat olive oil. Once oil is hot, add your onions and peppers and sauté until soft.

**I like my veggies to have a little bite to them, so I don’t let them get too soft.

Drop your heat down to medium and add your garlic. Cook until just fragrant.

Add the canned tomatoes and herbs—I used fresh parsley and dried oregano cause that’s what I had on hand. Basil would be good in this dish.

Season with salt and pepper.

If you’ve managed your time well, your pasta should be finished at the same time your sauce is wrapping up. Add the pasta directly into the skillet with about ¾ cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

Bring to a slight boil and stir, letting the sauce reduce down and thicken slightly.

Add parmesan and toss to coat.

Serve with more parmesan and some fresh herbs, if you’ve got them.

NOTES:

This recipe is one I like to change up a million different ways. It’s wonderful with zucchini, Italian sausage, even tossed with roasted veggies like asparagus. It’s the perfect pantry pasta because it’s delicious no matter what you add to it (within reason, of course!)

BOLOGNESE

· Pasta of your choice, I prefer rigatoni with Bolognese

· 2 Tbsp olive oil

· 2 carrots, peeled and diced very small

· 2 celery, diced very small

· 1 onion, diced very small

· 3 cloves garlic, minced

· 1 lb ground beef, or mix of beef and pork

· ¼ cup white wine, or red…whatever you have on hand

· 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, San Marzano if you can get your hands on them

· Herbs of your choice, fresh or dried

· Salt and pepper, to taste

· Fresh parmesan

How To:

In a large dutch oven (or other heavy bottomed pan) over med-high heat, heat olive oil. Once oil is hot, add your carrots and celery. Cook until carrots are soft. Add onions and sauté until soft.

Add garlic. Cook until just fragrant.

Bring the heat up a tad and add the ground meat. Cook until completely browned.

Add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan…scrapping up any bits stuck to the pan.

Add the tomatoes and herbs, and season with salt and pepper.

Bring heat down to a gentle simmer and cook low and slow.

**I try to plan ahead for this meal so I can cook the sauce at a simmer for at least two hours…four hours is perfect if you can manage it. The longer you cook it, the sweeter the tomatoes become. If you don’t have that kind of time, you may need to add a little brown sugar to your sauce to cut the tomato acidity.

Set a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook preferred pasta according to package instructions, making sure to cook just under al dente (the pasta will continue to cook in the sauce.)

Add the cooked pasta directly into the sauce with about one cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

Bring to a slight boil and stir, letting the sauce reduce down and thicken slightly.

Add parmesan and toss to coat.

Serve with more parmesan and some fresh herbs, if you’ve got them.

NOTES:

Skip the meat all together and turn this dish into a vegetarian marinara of sorts. This sauce is a wonderfully sneaky way to get your little ones to eat more veggies. Add zucchini, eggplant, squash…whatever you fancy. Dice it small and cook with the carrots, celery and onions…your little one won’t be the wiser.

You can also substitute the ground meat with cooked lentils. Another vegetarian option that’s more on the hearty side. **Pulse the cooked lentils in the food processor 2-3 times to make it look a little more like ground meat…this step is crucial for little ones who inspect every inch of their plate before deeming it worthy of eating.