Little Luxury Pasta with Red Sauce

This is my little luxury that I can always throw together no matter what type of scraps I have left in the fridge. It’s so easy and after a few times making this, you won’t even need this recipe…

But you should share it with your friends if you’ve made it more than once 🙂 For this dish, the portions are really up to you. I like to use my judgement to decide how much of each ingredient I use.

However, I have been told I’m bad at identifying red flags in men so sometimes my judgement gets clouded. Though these guys have never complained about my cooking… anyways.

Enjoy this recipe as your little luxury when you get home from a long day.

Needs:

• Fry pan with higher sides
• Small sauce pot for cooking pasta
• Grater for garlic and cheese

Ingredients:

• One portion of whatever pasta you want (I like penne or spaghetti)
• Olive Oil
• Jar of tomato sauce (or even leftover pizza sauce, just need to add a little water to it)
• Add-Ins
  • 1/4 lb ground beef or one sausage link taken out of it’s casing
  • Small handful of diced onions (red, white, sweet, whatever you got)
  • 2-3 Sliced Mushrooms (or not, some of ya’ll are not shroom people)
  • Grated garlic clove (I use one but how much garlic to use is your business)
  • Pinches of spices and hearty herbs like:
    • Red pepper flakes
    • Oregano, sage or thyme
    • Pepper
• Two handfuls of greens (spinach, baby kale, etc.)
• Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Make pasta according to package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat some olive oil over medium heat in the pan and start cooking your add-ins in the order listed above from the meat to the spices/herbs. Cook one ingredient fully before adding the next.
3. Once you have all the add-ins cooked, put some red sauce in the pan. The amount is really up to you – I don’t like my pasta super saucey. But, if that’s your vibe, go for it. Just use your eyes and judgment.
4. Bring the add-ins and sauce up to a simmer.
5. Then, add a couple hand-fulls of greens to the sauce and stir until they wilt.
6. When the pasta is done cooking, add it into the sauce with a little leftover pasta water. Stir to coat the noodles in the sauce.
7. Top with a little (or a hell of a lot) of parmesan cheese and enjoy.

Cheers to you and your little luxury of pasta for one.

-Fiercely Freckled