Single Person's Version
Momomom - while I love your
recipe, it contains a few more ingredients than I allow in my kitchen at any one time. And it has several steps. So here's the consummate bachelorette's version.
This recipe requires twelve minutes at the most to prepare, and uses a minimum amount of stuff that will later require washing.
Note that steps 1 - 12 take place in rapid succession. Be prepared to spend at least 10 minutes focused on the preparation of the meal.
Ingredients:
Pasta (preferably the "soft" kind that you find in the refrigerated section - this stuff only takes 45 seconds - 3.5 minutes to cook.)
Vegetables (Whatever is in the vegetable drawer. Or wherever in the refrigerator. Broccoli works very well.)
Sauce - You can buy these in plastic containers next to the pasta, or in jars and cans in another area of the grocery. Whatever - every type of sauce is available. Get the smallest portion of sauce & pasta & veggies you can because chances are they will go bad before you use all of them.
Steps:
1. Fill a pot with water and shake in a little salt. Cover. Set on burner and turn burner on to High.
2. Slice the veggies. Do this on the counter top. No use messing up a cutting board 'cause you'll just have to wash it later.
3. Pull out the amount of pasta you plan on using.
4. Place veggies and pasta in the bowl that you will eat from (if you use a bowl - you can also eat this straight out of the pot).
5. Read pasta package to determine amount of time required to cook. Set a timer accordingly.
6. Read directions on sauce. If it needs to be warmed, place in a small dish and microwave for correct amount of time. For pesto sauce, simply put container on the range top near the burner. It is not really necessary to heat other sauces if you put them immediately on hot pastas.
7. Once water is boiling well, dump in pasta and veggies. Immediately press Start on the timer you set earlier.
8. Stir pasta & veggies until timer goes off.
9. Walk pot & cover carefully to sink. Place cover mostly on pot so that there is just a crack on the lower side. Invert to drain water off of veggies & pasta. Be careful not to loose any of the stuff down the sink and not to scald yoursself with the steam.
10. Put veggies & pasta in bowl (if using a bowl).
11. Put sauce over veggies & pasta.
12. Sprinkle on some parmesan cheese if 1) you have some and 2) it hasn't gotten moldy.
13. Take bowl (or pot if that's what your using) to favorite chair in front of TV. Remember to take a beer, (a napkin), and a fork and spoon with you.
14. Eat up!
15. Wash Pot, Utensils, (Bowl if you used it) before you go to bed (no use encouraging insects to live in the kitchen - right?).
Isn't it wonderful that all sorts of foods have been made eaiser to prepare? Sauces in jars - so wonderful!!