I need a SUPER QUICK to make pasta sauce...

[Papa Deuce]

Not a red sauce.

My wife just called and said she would really like pasta for dinner tonight. No time to make my "cook all day" red pasta sauce.


Suggestions?

 

[Jennifer S]

Clam sauce
Alfredo
Olive oil and garlic - like shrimp scampi

 

[Chicago526]

If you have time to run out to the store, try a Knor seasoning packet for Aldfredo sauce (ask if you don't know what aisle to look in). You just use milk and the seasoning packet and heat it over the stove, it doesn't take very long and tastes really yummy. It's not the healthiest sauce in the world (but much better than real alfredo which uses cream rather than milk).

 

[jenwolgey]

Saute in olive oil some red bell pepper strips, sliced onion, some crushed fresh garlic, sliced mushrooms...add a can of chopped tomatoes with juice, cook down for about 15 minutes...add some italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, a couple spoons of your salted pasta cooking water and some parmesan cheese. YUM.

Note- This isn't really a "red" sauce!

 

[siouxi31]

My family loves this and the sauce is done way before the noodles are.
Two cans seasoned tomatoes (I like the basil oregano flavor)
garlic
basil
black olives (if you like)
romano cheese
olive oil
saute the garlic in olive oil (I'm generous with olive oil)
add the tomatoes, black olives, a little roman (you can use parmesan if you prefer) and then snip some basil into it.

 

[tw1nsmom]

What to you have on hand? If you have some fresh spinach, walnuts or pinenuts, olive oil, garlic, and parm, you could make pesto. If you have canned tomatoes, you could make a quick "fresh" sauce with a little wine, olive oil, herbs and garlic.

 

[mchames]

Saute in olive oil chopped onion and garlic. When soft, add chopped fresh tomatoes. Cook until softened. It will take just a couple of minutes. Add fresh basil and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over pasta with fresh grated romano or parmesan cheese. You can also add chicken or shrimp.

Mary

 

[ckay87]

May I just say that if I "called home to say I would really like pasta for dinner tonight" my DH would say "sounds good - go ahead and make pasta."


You're a good guy Papa D. And thx for the thread - I like the ideas you're getting. Looks like it will, in fact, be pasta for dinner!

 

[liamsaunt]

If you don't want to cook at all you could make pesto. Just whir up a bunch of basil, a clove or two of garlic, a handful of pine nuts (or walnuts), a handful of parmesean cheese, and a glug or two of olive oil in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper and toss with pasta. Hold back a scoop of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce if it needs it. You can also add cream to this, which would tone down the garlic a little bit.

Chopped garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and olive oil sauteed briefly together makes another really fast sauce.

One more: carbonara. Sautee some chopped bacon til browned. In a bowl beat together an egg or two, a good amount of parmesean cheese, and lots of black pepper. Toss the cooked pasta in the egg with the bacon. The heat from the pasta will cook the egg and you'll get a creamy, smoky sauce.

 

[pearlieq]

3 oz of cream cheese or neufchatel cheese melted with a little milk and LOTS of garlic and pepper makes a nice sauce. You'll need to eyeball the milk and taste test the spices--it's very imprecise and all done to taste.

 

[Sthronds]

I'd just head to the store for Ragu!

My family has a deep dark pasta sauce secret. . .

Ketchup and Bacon My dad was raised on it.

Don't worry, we have upgraded to Ragu!

 

[Disney Doll]

Pasta with garlic & oil, broccoli & chicken. Sautee broccoli & chicken in the garlic & oil, then toss the whole thing with the cooked pasta.

A little Parmesan and Viola!!! Ready to go. And delish too!!!!!

 

[FullStride]

Why don't you just take her out to a nice Italian Restaraunt. Then nobody has to cook and you "might" score some brownie points.

 

[LiteBrite]

Alfredo sauce is not that hard to make from scratch - just heavy cream, butter, and parmesan, and garlic, and let it simmer for a while to reduce.

 

[Imzadi]

Alfredo sauce is not that hard to make from scratch - just heavy cream, butter, and parmesan, and garlic, and let it simmer for a while to reduce.

Instead of the heavy cream, use a can of lowfat evaporated milk (not condensed milk.) The evaporated milk adds the creaminess of heavy cream without all the fat & calories. Plus you can keep it in the pantry to pull out at any time. Make sure you use real parmesan. The stuff in the cans just doesn't melt!

 

[salmoneous]

1. Open Jar
2. Insert in Microwave
3. Push Button

Now if that doesn't meat your satisfaction of "cooking", a slightly more complicated version:

1. Saute garlic and onions in olive oil
2. Open jar
3. Dump into garlic, onions and oil
4. Cook 2 minutes

 

[ilovepcot]

3 oz of cream cheese or neufchatel cheese melted with a little milk and LOTS of garlic and pepper makes a nice sauce. You'll need to eyeball the milk and taste test the spices--it's very imprecise and all done to taste.[/QUOTE

Yum! Could eat that straight with a great big spoon!

 

[goodeats]

Pesto sauce is really quick if you have a food processor and lots of basil and pine nuts handy.

 

[Papa Deuce]

I went with this:

EVOO.... make you Rachel Ray fans happy.
scallops
fresh mined garlic
salt & pepper
Cherry tomamtoes.... just barely cooked down in the EVOO.
fresh chopped herbs for the top after plating.