Pasta Puttanesca
Do you guys watch The Walking Dead? I discovered the show last season, binged on all the episodes in a day, and now I'm pretty much obsessed. As unrealistic as a zombie apocalypse may be, each episode is so terrifying I still get the urge to board up our windows and stock up on MREs! I love all the characters, especially hottie Rick Grimes ;)
In honor of the season premiere this week, I am sharing a delicious meal made of all shelf stable ingredients. Yes, my plan for surviving the zombie apocalypse is to make meals from shelf stable ingredients so delicious, the group will band together to protect me and my cooking skills.
In all seriousness, there are reasons people other than doomsday preppers should know how to make a few healthy meals with shelf stable ingredients. Maybe you enjoy camping? When we were camping in Yellowstone the food was so horrid I would have killed to have one of my homecooked meals. What if there is some kind of natural disaster? You'll find yourself getting sick of MREs pretty fast. But most likely, you'll need them for those days you haven't had a chance to go to the grocery store.
This recipe for pasta puttanesca is one of my go-to pantry meals. It's made with vegetable juice as the base of the sauce, spiked up with garlic, chili flakes, anchovies, olives, capers and tuna. The vegetable juice is a short cut for a really complex tasting sauce! And don't be afraid of the anchovies. It adds a briny, nutty flavor to it that's not overpowering. To add some more produce to this dish, I serve it with spinach simply sauteed with onions and olive oil.
Pasta Puttanesca
Adapted from The Last Minute Party Girl
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 anchovy filets, rinsed
24 ounces low sodium vegetable juice
2 tablespoons capers,rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup olives, chopped
2 5-ounce cans tuna in water, drained
8 ounces cooked 100% whole grain pasta
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add anchovy filets and crushed pepper flakes and cook about 2 minutes, breaking apart with the back of a wooden spoon.
Pour in the vegetable juice and bring to a boil. Add capers and olives. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes.
Flake in tuna and heat through. Season with black pepper to taste, and serve over cooked pasta.
More easy pasta dishes:
Creamy Spring Pasta with Oyster Mushrooms and Asparagus
Beet Butter Spaghetti
Spaghetti with Greens and Gorgonzola
