Meet my fifteen-minutes-to-make pasta-craving-at-midnight meal. Truth told, it's more akin to my I-just-got-home and I'm starving what-can-I-make-really fast meal -- a hot, hearty, comforting feed-me-now meal. That said, it's also one of my go-to side dishes to serve with roasted chicken, broiled fish or sautéed seafood too -- I simply love it alongside some buttery, garlicy shrimp. If you have homemade marinara sauce on-hand in your freezer, feel free to use it, but, trust me, when store-bought marinara sauce gets a bit of cream stirred into it, you'll get no complaints.
A tasty little side-dish for chicken, fish or seafood:
For 2 large servings or 4 smaller servings:
12 ounces farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
2 quarts water, for cooking pasta
2 teaspoons sea salt, for seasoning pasta water
6 tablespoons salted butter
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups homemade or store-bought marinara sauce, your favorite brand
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
2-3 tablespoons finely-grated Parmesan cheese, for garnishing pasta
For 1 individual serving:
4 ounces farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
2 1/2-3 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt, for seasoning pasta water
2 tablespoons salted butter
1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup marinara sauce
3 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese, for garnishing pasta
~Step 1. In an appropriately-sized stockpot or saucepan place the of water. Add the sea salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta to the boiling water and give it a stir. Adjust heat to a rapid simmer and cook, according to package directions, until al dente, about 9-10 minutes -- do not overcook pasta. Drain pasta into a colander and set aside -- do not rinse pasta.
~Step 2. Return the still hot pan to the stovetop. Over low heat melt the salted butter, then, stir in the garlic powder, sea salt and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Add the marinara sauce and cream to pan. Using a large spoon, stir until sauce is uniform in color. Adjust heat to a gentle simmer and cook about 1 minute. Turn the heat to low and add the cooked pasta. Stir until pasta is enrobed in sauce and mixture is steaming. Transfer to serving bowl(s), garnish with Parmesan and serve immediately.
Nothing fancy, definitely not gourmet, simply delicious:
Just Buttery Pasta in a Silky Tomato-Cream Sauce: Recipe yields 2 hearty servings/4 side-servings, or, 1 small-but-filling just-for-me serving.
Special Equipment List: 4-quart wide-bottomed stockpot or 2-quart saucepan; colander; large spoon
Cook's Note: Why is this is one of my favorite in-a-hurry shrimp-loving dishes? Glad you asked. In my food world, lightly-sautéed shrimp are perfect when paired with some perfectly-cooked pasta that's been enrobed in a slightly-spicy tomato-cream sauce. There's more. It only requires few on-hand ingredients, and, there's little-to-no prep -- all of us cooks like to hear those words. Try my ~ One-Pan Shrimp & Shells in Tomato-Cream Sauce ~, it's good enough to serve to guests too.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2022)
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