Lickety Split Pasta

This is totally cheaters pasta. Or at least it feels like it. It's definitely not a long-simmered, lovingly-tended sauce made in a huge cauldron. It makes as many servings as you feel like having in your fridge left over, if you, like me, are cooking for one.

It's quick as a bunny, and flexible to what you've got on hand. Since I didn't use a recipe, here's what I did, not in recipe form (ingredient list at bottom).

Onions get sweating in a sauna pan. Now's a good time to add some dried oregano/red pepper flakes, too, if you'd like.

[boil water for pasta, put frozen peas into a bowl]

Italian sausage joins the party--take your pick of hot or mild, and your choice of meat. I went with mild chicken. Once it's browning, add garlic.

[add pasta to water, cook for a minute or two less than the suggested cook time--until al dente]

Deglaze with a bit of wine, if you've got it around. Then, in go the tomatoes and their juice. Absentmindedly crush them with your wooden spoon while you forget your woes.

[Drain pasta (reserve some pasta water, unless it's aggressively salty like mine was! Microwave the peas, too]

Dump pasta into pan with sauce, watering down as needed. Breathe in the steam. Enjoy the aromatherapy of cooking. Serve with grated (or shaved, with a vegetable peeler) parmesan cheese.

Hearty greens, such as kale or spinach, would be great added with the garlic (after the meat has browned a bit).

Ingredients: (amount for aproximately 2 large servings)

• Pasta (5 or so ounces)--I used mini-penne
• Half an onion--I used 3/4 because it's what I had
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 Italian sausage--cook's choice
• 1 14-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes
• A splash of wine--I used white
• Frozen peas--but really, do what you want on this one
• [greens, if desired]