Today we are making pasta for one, and lo and behold, it is non-fancy, pasta-out-of-a-jar. Oh the humanity. This dish doesn’t take long. If you’re a turtle, 20 minutes. If you’re normal, 15, start to finish.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 very small onion, or one third of a large onion
• 5 baby carrots, or one small carrot, or one half of a large carrot
• one celery stalk
• 1/4 a green pepper (if you have a whole one, cut it up and save the rest for another recipe; it keeps, and sandwich bags are your best friend if you cook for one)
• 1/2 bottle of pre-made tomato sauce (I like Healthy Choice’s Chunky Italian Vegetable Pasta Sauce, because it needs very little addition of anything and has zucchini in it)
• salt, pepper
• 1 cup of dry pasta of your choice ( I am currently obsessed with radiatore), or 1 1/2 cups if you are very hungry and not adding a salad as a side

Instructions

1. Splash some olive oil (~ 1 tbsp) into a very, very small pot, on medium-low heat. This pot will be for the pasta sauce, and you are only making enough for one, so the smaller the pot, the better. It is far too easy to add too much stuff to a large pot and be left with too many leftovers.

2. Dice and chop up vegetables. This means the onion, green pepper, celery, and baby carrots.  If you like them chunky, as do I, cut them up chunky.  If you prefer them minced, mince ‘em.  You’ve only yourself to please.  Note that as much as you want to, make sure you’re not adding too much.  If you are left with too many cut up veggies, place in sandwich bag and refrigerate.

3. Plunk the onion, celery, and carrots into the olive oil. It’ll sizzle.  Let it sizzle. Stir it up a bit, but let it sizzle. Some sizzle is gooooood.

4. Fill another pot with 5 cups of water, add salt and a small splash of olive oil (2 tsp), and set on high heat and cover. This is for the pasta.  You add the salt so that the pasta will not be flavourless. You add the olive oil so nothing sticks. Plus, it adds flavour as well.

5. Have a look at the veggies. If the onions and celery are starting to look clear, add half the jar of pasta sauce, and the rest of the veggies. If not, wait a couple of minutes and then add veggies and pasta sauce.  Give the sauce a stir, making sure that nothing has stuck to the bottom of the pot.  Cover sauce and set to simmer on lowest heat.

6. Once the water boils, add the pasta. Set timer for 7 minutes (this is for the radiatore I used; if using different pasta, check the box for al dente boil time).  Pour yourself a drink of wine.  Red wine goes really well with pasta.

7. Once the pasta is ready, drain and place in a dish. The pasta sauce should now be ready, so pour that over the pasta.  Sprinkle mozarella or parmesean cheese if that is how you roll.

8. Bring wine and pasta to the table, or to your favourite spot in front of the T.V. Serves one. Enjoy!