I was feeling in the mood for a little pasta today. In the grocery store, you might have seen pre-made pasta dishes in the freezer, with some kind of light, buttery sauce, that is thick, but not a gravy.
So what is that sauce coating that store bought frozen pasta? I decided to experiment, and come up with something for a fast, veggie powered pasta dinner.
This dinner would require almost no time to prepare, and would be delicious.
I don’t buy frozen pastas much. But I know people who buy those Annie’s, or Bertoli pasta meals. Sure it’s great to have an easy meal out of the freezer. Most of these options have cheese or gluten, which is a no go for me, especially when I am eating plant based.
I was in the mood for a basic spaghetti sauce, or a buttery tasting sauce with garlic.
I decided to think outside the box, and imagine how I could create a flavorful sauce, to complement the vegetables, without it being overly oily. It also had to be fast, and come together quickly, with what I had on hand.
I had a box of Barilla Gluten Free Penne pasta. It’s made with corn, and rice. I like this pasta, since it tastes like real pasta. I do wish they made it organic. I don’t but it all the time, only occasionally though.
Gluten Free Pasta
So I cooked the penne a standard 7 minutes, separate from the vegetables, and sauce.
The Sauce
For the sauce I brought water to simmer in a frying pan, before adding in some garlic puree, I have frozen in cubes in my freezer. I added a vegetable bouillon cube, and as it dissolved, began adding in a little bit of dairy free butter. Then I added about two tablespoons worth of Rao’s marinara sauce, and some herbs. Then came the salt, and pepper, with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast for a savory taste.
Slurry
In a separate small bowl, I added 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch, with some water to make a slurry. I poured this into the sauce mixture, cooking on medium, stirring until it gelatinized.
The Veggies
After all this, I added my veggies, which were all quick cooking:
- Unsalted chickpeas (pre-cooked)
- Chopped a few sundried tomatoes
- A can of Artichoke Hearts
- A few sliced Black Olives
- A few handfuls of chopped Baby Spinach
It really was an easy pasta dish to throw together, and a fine alternative to the store bought sauces. Thickening my sauces with cornstarch is a great hack. It allows the flavors to really stick to the veggies, and the pasta.
I hope you try this method for a quick meal, and please comment below if you do.
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I’m Serafina! I’m a writer and California girl who loves to go exploring. Hope you will get outside today, breathe some fresh air, and be happy!
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