A Light Lunch

There are just some days when pasta is a necessity. For lunch today I whipped together an impromptu batch of spaghetti with a spicy Italian sauce of my own creation. Using anything and everything I could find in my cabinets I mixed up enough sauce to spare for future rainy days and stored it as best I could in an old mason jar. To find out what ingredients I used, check below. 

For the sauce:
-Tomato paste

-Crushed tomatoes (I prefer Roma, but whatever will work)

-Chopped onion

-Chopped up artichoke hearts (they were previously kept in seasoning)

-Fresh garlic, minced

-A little olive oil

-Red pepper flakes

-Italian seasoning (you can use fresh rosemary, thyme, etc. but for a quick dish, just use the seasoning)

-Salt and pepper for flavor

1. Boil water, you'll want about 6+ cups of water
2. Before adding in the spaghetti (a fistful = 4 people), add a dash of salt to the boiling water to avoid stickage
3. In a separate saucepan, begin mixing the other ingredients at a simmer. Start with the tomato paste and a little water, gradually add as much or as little of the other ingredients as you like. It's all personal preference and to your taste. If you'd like a thinner sauce consistency, add more water. 
4. Once the spaghetti is soft enough (test with your teeth, or throw against a wall and see if it sticks) drain it and then quickly mix it in with the warm sauce. The heat makes the flavor bind with the spaghetti better, so you'll get a richer, bolder flavor. 
5. Top off with some fresh herbs if you like, and enjoy!

***If in a dorm room***

Use your microwave! Just because you're living without a stove doesn't mean you can't have good food. Boil water in the microwave, add pasta, put back in the microwave and cook until the pasta is soft enough. Then use jarred pasta sauce (add extra seasoning for different flavor) and heat up in the microwave. Combine and enjoy. You can do this for about $3-5 if you want to too, a pretty cheap lunch/dinner that isn't Ramen.