Let’s face it, we could all use a little help when it comes to putting together dinners on the daily! I sometimes find myself sitting on the couch meal planning on a Sunday, and just staring at my notepad like I have zero idea as to what we are going to eat. Sound familiar?? And then I’ll end up at the store, and I feel like I could always use suggestions on what ingredients I can buy and put together real fast to create a full on meal! This happened to me at Trader Joe’s the other two, and I spotted two things I could use to create a delicious meal within minutes so I knew I had to share! That’s how this pasta was born! Out of sheer boredom of the regular food we eat all the time, and just roaming around Trader Joe’s!
You could literally use these two ingredients from Trader Joe’s and be good to go, but I brought it home and decided to go up one notch because I had some random stuff on hand! This part is obviously not necessary, but man did it add flavor and it was soooooo good! One pan fed the four of us just fine because it’s a pretty heavy dish. I served it with some garlic toast on the side and it went plenty to just have one bowl!
Ingredients:
- 1 package of Trader Joe’s garlic basil linguine pasta
- 1 tub of Trader Joe’s mushroom medley sauce
- 1/4 of a red onion, diced finely (optional)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced (optional)
- 3 cups of baby spinach (optional)
- 1 package of diced pancetta (optional, and skip if vegetarian because it’s still so good!)
Directions:
1 // Start with boiling the noodles according to the package directions, and when done set aside and drain. While those cook, heat up some EVOO on medium-high heat in a non-stick skillet or pan.
2 //Add in the onion and garlic. I love to use a little hand held grater like this for when I’m adding garlic (or ginger) to dishes! Doesn’t leave you with giant bits and it’s so fresh and flavorful! Saute for about 5 minutes, or until it’s just translucent and softened. I didn’t add any salt because I knew the pancetta was going to give me lots of flavor and saltiness, so I skipped it but if you’re not using pancetta, you may want to add some salt to taste in this step.
3 // Now, add in the pancetta and saute for about 5 minutes. It’s going to smell SO. DANG. GOOD.
4 // Add the cooked noodles at this point, and give it a quick toss. Top with the spinach and give it another toss until the leaves are wilted and mixed in!
5 // Pour in the tub of sauce and voila! Dinner is served! I think this whole dish came together in under like 15 minutes!!!!! If that isn’t fast cooking, I’m not sure what is! I also added some fresh ground pepper on top. And specifically for me, I added some crushed red chili pepper to give it a lil’ somethin’ somethin’.
Share to Pinterest and save it for later so you can add this easy meal into your meal planning!
