I’ve been getting really excited about the idea of exchanging recipes, from me to you. I love to play around in the kitchen and enjoy pairing ingredients and while most times the end result is less than “pretty” or picture perfect, it tastes damn good. So for my very first recipe, I’m sharing the easiest go-to “what’s for dinner? there’s nothing defrosted!” Last minute recipe. It’s packed with stuff I always have on hand, and you may even too.
Some thing’s you’ll notice, I rarely measure (I am Italian and I just don’t have time lol) but I will do my best to get into the habit of close estimation. And I’ll share whatever substitutions I can, since I typically use what’s on hand especially for last minute dinners.
Scroll past the photos for the full recipe! Let’s get to cooking.
Typically, I cook with yellow onions but once in awhile (and especially if I’m all out of my first choice) I’ll use a red onion. Bonus points, it adds color to any dish. I sauté about half an onion in (wait for it) 2 tbsp of butter. I prefer butter to oil in any pomodoro because it adds to the creamy texture of this sauce. Then I’ll sauté 5-6 cloves of chopped garlic until the aroma is broken open. About 3-4 minutes.
After the onions and the garlic are translucent and sautéd to my liking, I’ll add in a can of crushed tomatoes. Pastene for our house, always. Let this simmer for 10 minutes or so to break open the flavors of the crushed tomatoes. Then I’ll add in my seasoning: oregano, basil, marjoram, and parsley with flake salt + pepper to taste (Exact measurements on the blog post), and let that simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
Here comes more butter! I let another 2 tbsp of butter to melt into the sauce. It brings a creamy dynamic to the flavor. Then comes the cheese, my go-to is always pecorino romano (locatelli forever) and once thants melted in and warmed through I loved to throw in frozen peas for nutrients, added color, and a little crunch. Bonus points, if you’re feeding toddlers peas are the least offensive veggie because they’re just so cute!
Boil your favorite pasta, you can use spaghetti or fusilli or penne, whatever you have on hand really and after it’s cooked mix it all in the sauce and dish it out. To top it all off, more cheese. I typically reach for burrata broken up on top but I didn’t have any tonight so I used the fresh ricotta that I had on hand and it turned out perfectly! Just a dollop on top of everyone’s dish.
It’s quick, it’s easy, and even easier to keep on hand since each ingredient is either dry, canned, or frozen. Meals like this are so important to have in your arsenal especially for seasons of business.
I hope you enjoyed this receipt, I’d love to know if you try it out yourself and what you think. Sharing my favorite meals is, to me, a beautiful connection tool. Almost as special as sitting down and sharing the meal together.
With love—
With love—
Dakota x Shop Sanctuary
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp of butter (split)
- 1/2 medium onion (either red or yellow will do)
- 5-6 cloves of chopped garlic
- 1 28oz can Pastene tomatoes
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp majoram
- 1 tsp basil (or 7-8 fresh basil leaves chopped)
- 1 tsp parsley
- flake salt + pepper to taste
- 1 cup (more or less to preferred taste)
- 1/4 cup of Locatelli pecorino Romano cheese (or more to taste)
- Ricotta or burrata cheese for serving
Directions:
- Sauté yellow or red onion in 2 tbsp of butter until translucent and then add chopped garlic and sauté another 3-5 minutes or until aromatic
- Add 1 can of crushed tomatoes and let simmer about 10 minutes
- Add in oregano, marjoram, basil, parsley and salt + pepper to taste and let simmer another 10 minutes
- Add in another 2 tbsp of butter to the sauce and let melt and then add in 1/4 cup of pecorino Romano cheese and allow to warm the sauce through
- Boil pasta and drain
- Add in frozen peas and cover allowing them to cook through, about 5 minutes
- Add in cooked pasta and fold throughout the sauce
- Serve with broken up burrata or a dollop of ricotta
- Enjoy!