Pantry Pasta

If you have one dried item in your pantry, chances are it's pasta.  I was cleaning out my cabinets last week and realized that I needed to do something with my store of pasta that wasn't marinara/meat sauce.

Here's a fresh take on pasta that I made entirely with ingredients I already had. As such, it also showcases ingredients I think every home cook on the go should keep on hand.  This is eminently tweekable, but limit your herb selection to only 2-3.

Pantry Pasta

12-14 oz dried pasta*
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 stick butter, plus one tbsp
1 med onion
salt and pepper
dried thyme, parsley, basil
1 pkg frozen peas (individual serving)
1 pkg frozen corn (individual serving)
lemon juice

Cook pasta in salted, boiling water until al dente.

Saute onion in olive oil, salt, and pepper until soft. Add 1/3 stick of butter and dried herbs.  Add small ladle full of pasta water. When sauce has reduced, add peas and corn.  Cook until al dente, being careful not to brown vegetables. Add al dente pasta, cooking another couple of minutes. Turn off heat and add a few dashes of lemon juice and remaining butter.  Stir well. Taste to see if additional salt or lemon juice is needed.

Serves 4.

*I recommend either long pastas, like fettuccine or spaghetti, or chunky pastas like farfalle or orcchiette.