Ree Drummond gave her easy pantry pasta recipe an upgrade by swapping out some of the pantry staples she used in the original dish. The Pioneer Woman star also offered up ideas for switching it up even more.
Ree Drummond changed up one of her favorite pantry pasta recipes
Drummond demonstrated how to make her upgraded pasta recipe on an episode of The Pioneer Woman. “I’m diving into my old cookbook Come and Get It and I’m also diving into my pantry,” she said. “I’m making pantry pasta 2.0. It’s based on one of my very favorite pantry dishes. It is out-of-this-world good.”
Drummond explained, “The idea is to open up your pantry, use what you have, and change it up just depending on what you’ve got on hand.”
The recipe introduction explained some of the ingredient swaps she uses in this “2.0” version. “In this update to her classic pantry pasta recipe, Ree uses Calabrian chiles, sundried tomato pesto, basil and Parmesan. The key to this dish is to use whatever you have on hand — experiment and enjoy!”
Drummond gave her simple pasta sauce a kick
For her easy sauce, Drummond sauteed onions in olive oil and added canned diced tomatoes and sliced hearts of palm, which replaced the artichoke hearts she used in the original recipe. She mentioned using olives as well, explaining, “I’ve made this before with assorted jarred olives and ooh, it’s so good.”
Drummond also switched up another ingredient from the original: she used Calabrian chiles rather than roasted red peppers. “Calabrian chiles are incredible,” she noted. “Little bit sweet.”
The Food Network host stirred the ingredients together then added broth. “You might notice that there’s really not much in this sauce so far that’s perishable,” she pointed out. “Most of this stuff is stuff that I have in the pantry at all times.”
Drummond added garlic, simmered the sauce, and added sun-dried tomato pesto at the end for “serious flavor.”
‘The Pioneer Woman’ star switched up the noodles, too
Drummond made bowtie pasta rather than using fusilli, which is in her original recipe. “That’s the beauty of pantry pasta,” she said. “You can use whatever you have.”
She drained the pasta and added it to the sauce. “I have never made this pantry pasta with any kind of pasta that doesn’t work,” Drummond said. “You can even break lasagna noodles into little pieces in a pinch if you’re out of pasta.”
The Pioneer Woman star sprinkled parmesan over the pasta, spooned it into a bowl, and garnished it with torn basil leaves and more parmesan.
The full recipe is available on the Food Network website.
Drummond’s original pantry pasta recipe is a fan favorite
Drummond’s original pantry pasta recipe earns rave reviews on the Food Network site.
“Oh my word, y’all! This is one of the best pasta dishes I have ever made!” one person wrote.
Another reviewer commented, “Easy and tastes great!”
One person shared, “This is one of the tastiest sauces I have ever made! It’s quick and easy and versatile.”
Some reviewers pointed out the addition of chicken or shrimp to make the dish an even heartier meal.
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