Everyone needs a back-pocket recipe; something they can pull out when time is short, energy levels are low and money is tight. This recipe - a riff on Martha Stewart's One-Pan Pasta - is a strong contender. It's quick to make (basically zero prep, unless you count chopping an onion), requires very little from the cook and uses ingredients you can pick up from nearly anywhere. Trust me, I know. I made it in a tiny Air BnB kitchen in Bordeaux, France, while going off-road from my normal life (as a writer and recipe developer in New Zealand). The funny thing about travel is that while you idealise eating out, discovering newness and embracing difference, sometimes you crave normality and comfort (this is especially true if your travel companions include kids). So, one night, in the spirit of Food52's Off-Road Recipes series (and in the spirit of saving our meagre funds), I put Martha's classic recipe to the test. I plumped for canned cherry tomatoes and their juice for a more tomato-y take on the original, and tweaked the method a tiny touch. Essentially, this is a recipe ripe for reinvention. I'd also recommend adding olives or anchovies for an umami hit, and serving with a lemon and olive-oil dressed arugula salad on the side. But where you take it next is up to you... —The Kitchenmaid
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