Cook the Perfect Pasta Dinner Every Time With This Reliable Formula
Pasta always makes a great dish, but making the finished dish is more than mixing the noodles with the sauce. This simple formula will make your pasta dishes tasty and memorable every time.
An ideal pasta dish should include vegetables and protein in addition to a decent sauce. If you’re unsure of where to start, Sarah Jenkins of Food52 suggests using whatever is seasonal and acting from there:
So, the idea is to take what is, according to the season – peas, corn and Brussels sprouts, tomatoes or leeks, even grated pumpkin and autumn pumpkin – and mix with pasta, add 3 to 5 ounces of meat (jerky pork, bacon, or sausage – I’ve even known to have diced salami and used it the same way) into half a pound .
Jenkins also suggests adding herbs to suit your ingredients. Basil, mint and lovage go well with peas and corn. For other vegetables with stronger, bolder flavors, she suggests using thyme or sage. For the most part, no matter what ingredients you end up with, this formula will keep everything well balanced and flavorful. People won’t even know that you didn’t go for a certain recipe.