As soon as I step into my apartment after work, I always look to make the quickest and most substantial dinner possible. Unfortunately, this does not always translate to "healthy". I find that only having fresh produce on hand for cooking prevents turning to freezer and boxed items that tend to be made up of less desirable ingredients. One of my favorite weeknight meals consists of boiling up some pasta and throwing in whatever I have on hand that might go bad in the next week. On Monday night, this translated to a delicious pasta that I will certainly be repeating. Anything that cooks in 2 pots or less and averages 30 minutes, start to finish, is a winner in my book.
The main ingredients (basil, cherry tomatoes, garlic, kalamata olives, and artichoke hearts) should be sauteed in a pan with some olive oil and white wine for about 8 minutes. Some other options would be to throw in a little diced onion, some asparagus, substitute sun dried tomatoes, etc. I used "already quartered" jarred artichoke hearts, and this cut down on the prep time.
Once the pasta is cooked to al dente and drained, throw it into the saute pan with the other ingredients and toss everything with a bit more olive oil. I topped the pasta with grated parmesan cheese (we like the shaved Trader Joe's variety) and some salt just before serving. Effortlessly simple and tasty to boot!
