Cheap and Cheerful January!
After a month of indulgence and decadence (did anyone see my duck confit Insta story just before Christmas??), I’m feeling pretty enthusiastic for my “Cheap and Cheerful January,” where my intention is to hibernate at home as much as possible while eating as many simple, inexpensive, at-home meals as possible. I’ll share at least 1 cheap and cheerful recipe each week, and I’m kicking it off with my Weeknight Pasta Marinara, which is the easiest spaghetti ever and not ridiculously unhealthy for a carb-based dish.
Ingredients: whole wheat spaghetti, 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 can tuna in olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, the juice of 1 lemon, Parmesan and/or Asiago, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, dried basil
I love this pasta so very much—it is perfectly simple, satisfying, and light but still filling and warming too. I boil the whole wheat spaghetti noodles (whole wheat means it’s healthy, right?) and while the pasta cooks I heat some olive oil in a sauce pan and add 3 cloves of thin sliced garlic until warm and fragrant.
Before the garlic starts to take on color, I add the can of diced tomatoes and season to taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to incorporate the garlic and let the tomatoes bubble away as they thicken and the liquid reduces. After a few minutes, drizzle in the juice of half a lemon and about half the oil from your tuna can, then drain off the rest and flake the tuna directly into the sauce—stir to incorporate. When the pasta is al dente, drain it and reserve about a half-cup or so of cooking liquid, just in case. Return the pasta to the pot and pour in your marinara sauce, adding cooking liquid if necessary. Stir over low heat to let the pasta absorb a bit more of the flavorful liquid and the sauce to cling to the pasta. Plop the whole thing in a serving bowl and sprinkle with basil, cheese, another drizzle of lemon juice, and plenty of pepper.
Best eaten from the serving bowl with a serving fork.
