10 Minute Pantry Pasta

As stereotypes go, one would think working from home would mean an individual would be tempted to work the same or less hours than in an office. Sadly in my case, I seem inclined to work non-stop. It's hard to 'leave' work when you're always home! Anyways, after a particularly long day, I decided to take a dinner break before going 'back to work' (aka sitting at my desk) to finish up what needed to get done. I ate some delicious Creamy Broccoli Soup leftovers for lunch and wanted something different for dinner. At this point, I have next to no fresh groceries in my fridge after being in Romania for the past week. But luckily I did have some left over spinach from the soup I made yesterday! So I paired it with some pantry staples for this tasty and FAST meal.

10 Minute Pantry Pasta

• Angel hair pasta (again, being scrappy, I had about 1/3 of a box left)
• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil 
• 4 Cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thin
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• 3-4 Cups fresh spinach (a couple big handfuls)
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Parmesan cheese (being in a rush I didn't even grate it fresh! Straight from the plastic container)

Put a pot of water on to boil, salt it generously. Heat the olive oil in a large pan (it will seem like a lot but is part of the sauce). Add the sliced garlic cloves and let them brown, careful not to burn them. Add the can of stewed tomatoes. Use whatever variation you have (diced, whole, sliced etc)- mine came in thick slices so I chopped them up a bit more with my spoon. Let simmer for a couple minutes. 

By now your water should be boiling so throw in the pasta, it should cook in 4 minutes. 

Add the spinach, salt, red pepper and pepper to the stewed tomatoes and let the spinach wilt. Stir, then scoop out the pasta to add to the sauce once it's done cooking. No need to strain it carefully, the pasta water will add to the sauce nicely. Mix it up then add some grated parmesan on top once you've plated it. Fast, easy, enjoy!