A No-Fuss, Pantry-Staple Pasta to Unwind With

Thanksgiving is a tiring, albeit delicious, time for a cook. If you hosted the feast, you likely spent many hours in the kitchen this week. You probably don't want to brave the grocery store again, cook anything complicated, or wash a lot of dishes until at least next week.

You could, of course, order a pizza and call it a day. But don't rule out a homemade meal just because you're tired of cooking. This is the time to reach for simple and straightforward dishes: Ones that require only pantry staples. Today's recipe, a riff on one I found in the Hunt's tomato paste's archives, doesn't call for any ingredients you likely don't have on hand. It's not earth-shattering. But it is comforting and satisfying and will easily feed a crowd.

Pasta recipes like this might seem almost too simple, but I like the idea of having the structure of a recipe to follow when my brain is overloaded from a busy week. After cooking some pasta, you'll sauté some onions with garlic until they soften and turn a deep, sweet golden brown. You'll add canned tomatoes and tomato paste for a more robust flavor, then some of your pasta cooking water to thicken the sauce. There's grated cheese, too, and chopped fresh parsley. A hefty dollop of sour cream transforms the sauce from ordinary to luxuriously creamy.

You can add onto this meal easily, too. Top it with a fried egg or leftover roast chicken or serve it over baby spinach. Or enjoy it as is, rounding out the dinner with some of that leftover pumpkin pie.

Fettuccine Romano

View Recipe

Ingredients

8	ounces fettuccine or wide egg noodles
2	tablespoons butter
2	tablespoons olive oil
2	cloves garlic, minced
1/2	medium yellow onion, diced
3	tablespoons tomato paste
1	cup canned diced tomatoes
1/4	cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (plus extra, for serving)
1/2	cup sour cream
1/4	cup chopped fresh parsley

8	ounces fettuccine or wide egg noodles
2	tablespoons butter
2	tablespoons olive oil
2	cloves garlic, minced
1/2	medium yellow onion, diced

3	tablespoons tomato paste
1	cup canned diced tomatoes
1/4	cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (plus extra, for serving)
1/2	cup sour cream
1/4	cup chopped fresh parsley

Posie Harwood is a writer, photographer, and food stylist based in New York. You can read more of her writing here.

What's your favorite non-complicated, post-holiday meal? Let us know in the comments!