Ann's Pantry Pasta Sauce: Tomato and Artichoke Hearts
This recipe was inspired by one at Pioneer Woman. I just adjusted it to suit my pantry and our tastes.
This recipe was inspired by one at Pioneer Woman. I just adjusted it to suit my pantry and our tastes.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 pound pasta
- 1/4 cup milk or cream
- 1 medium white onion finely diced
- 1 can rotel tomato sauce
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- ! jar marinated artichoke hearts
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg grated (optional)
- fresh herbs chopped
- Carbohydrate 40.0484991271803 g
- Cholesterol 57.1458318808638 mg
- Fat 7.89318562693103 g
- Fiber 1.98296655591026 g
- Protein 8.9988250591427 g
- Saturated Fat 3.8082132441649 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (191g)
- Sodium 159.874854027621 mg
- Sugar 38.0655325712701 g
- Trans Fat 0.885718768310344 g
- Calories 262 calories
Step-by-step
- In a pasta pot, begin heating lightly salted water for the pasta.
- Finely dice the onion and garlic (or even better: use pre-chopped/minced).
- In a large frying pan, warm the oil and butter together; saute the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes on medium high heat to soften.
- Add the jar of artichoke hearts and, stirring constantly, cook down the resulting liquid while gently chopping the artichoke hearts into smaller bites with a spatula.
- Add the three tomatoes (diced, Rotel and crushed) and simmer.
- Meanwhile add a little oil to the boiling pasta water and stir in the pasta (you can use any pasta; we enjoyed this sauce over chicken ravioli).
- Leave that to cook until al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, slowly stir the milk or cream (we used fat-free milk but cream would be much richer and higher calorie) into the sauce, then add the cheese and nutmeg (the nutmeg just adds a touch of something different to the taste).
- Let it simmer until the pasta is ready.
- Top the plated pasta with sauce; sprinkle with the fresh herbs (we used basil because that was what was growing in the kitchen window, but chives would be nice, too) and serve.
- We had this with a nice mixed greens salad with homemade basil vinaigrette.
- We skipped bread but a nice French loaf would be great for sopping up extra sauce!
Swapping canned crushed tomatoes for fresh summer paste varieties alters the moisture balance, requiring an extra five minutes of reduction time to achieve proper cling. Standard sauce pans often crowd the multiple tomato formats specified here, so choose a twelve-inch skillet with deep sides to prevent splattering during the simmer. Render aromatics in fat slowly over medium-high heat until the onions become translucent at the edges, avoiding brown caramelization that overpowers the delicate marinated artichoke hearts. Coordinate boiling the pasta water simultaneously with the initial onion sauté so everything finishes together without overcooking the pasta.
Pan Selection and Reduction Control
Surface area dictates how rapidly moisture evaporates from a combined tomato and vegetable mixture. Wide skillets expose more liquid to heat, speeding up the concentration of natural sugars. Stir constantly when incorporating canned marinades to prevent scorching at the edges where solids concentrate faster than liquids.
- Use a heavy-bottomed skillet measuring at least twelve inches across to ensure even heat distribution.
- Maintain a gentle bubble rather than a rolling boil during the reduction phase to prevent tomato solids from burning.
- Stir dairy components off direct heat or keep the burner on low to prevent separation of milk solids.
