Vegetable

Deceptively Simple Pasta With Moroccan Spices

January 17, 2021
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0 Ratings
Photo by Leslie Zhang
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Serves 1
Author Notes

Behold, a recipe sized for one, born from my quarantine fatigue of store-bought jars of marinara sauce. Perfect as a lazy solo weeknight dinner after a long day of back-to-back Zoom calls. Bacon can be omitted to be vegetarian. —Leslie Zhang

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 0.75 cups rigatoni or penne pasta, dry
  • 2 pieces bacon, chopped (optional)
  • 15 grams shallot (optional)
  • 1-2 teaspoons olive oil (omit if using bacon)
  • 10-15 cherry and/or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 0.25 teaspoons coriander seed
  • 0.25 teaspoons cumin (seed or ground)
  • 0.25 teaspoons paprika
  • 0.25 teaspoons cayenne or chili powder
  • 0.25 teaspoons garlic powder
  • salt
  • pepper
  • fresh parsley (optional)
Directions
  1. Combine spices in a small bowl and set aside. This can be done ahead of time or after step 4, while the tomatoes and pasta are cooking.
  2. Add pasta to boiling, salted water. Cook until al dente (about 6 minutes).
  3. In the meantime, add either chopped bacon or olive oil to a pan. Once bacon is sizzling or oil is hot, add shallots to pan.
  4. Once shallots have bloomed, add your halved cherry and/or grape tomatoes. Generously salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook.
  5. Once pasta is ready, do not drain. Scoop pasta directly from pot to pan. I use a cooking spoon, not a ladle, so just a little bit of pasta water comes along.
  6. Sprinkle spice mix over everything. Add a touch more pasta water to combine.
  7. Serve with an optional garnish of fresh parsley, side of whatever additional vegetable you'd like, and promptly inhale.

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