It’s lunchtime and you’re hungry, but you just aren’t feeling the PB&J or bowl of canned soup right now. It’s time to switch things up. Get ready to have a “where have you been all my life” moment as you discover this recipe.
This is a quick and easy pasta dish that can be adapted to pretty much anything you have in your kitchen.
Gourmet Pasta for When There’s No Food in the House
Protein
Choose one of any of the following or get creative with what you have.
- Chicken or white fish – Remove skin and bone, add salt and pepper before wrapping in foil and baking in the oven until they’re cooked through.
- Tofu – Extra-firm is preferable. Press it, thinly slice it, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then fry it in a small amount of olive oil until it browns nicely on each side.
- Canned chickpeas, white beans, kidney beans or other similar beans – Rinse.
Sauce
In a pan with olive oil, sauté some chopped or thinly sliced shallots or green onion, or diced onion. Once they’re translucent, add about a third of a cup of any kind of stock you have. Preferably chicken or vegetable, but others will do, as will chicken broth or part of a low-sodium bouillon cube in water if that’s what you have. Add some lemon juice – ideally from a lemon, but from a bottle will do. Finally, a touch of white wine. Let it gently simmer until the flavors have the chance to combine and the alcohol cooks out of the wine.
Pasta
Any pasta you have will do. Whole grain pasta is best, but any angel hair, spaghetti, linguine or even penne will work. If it’s pasta, you’ve made the right choice. Cook the pasta to your desired firmness and add the sauce and the protein.
All this can be prepared within a half hour. You’ll feel like you’re having a fine restaurant meal, even if you’re eating only canned and dry foods!
Bonus lunch nutrition tip: If you happen to have any bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus, or even canned mushrooms, give them a quick sauté to serve as a delicious, nutrient-boosting side dish.
