Quick Pantry Meal - Pork, Pasta and Sauce in one pot

I am not sure about everyone else but even I have my days where I suddenly realize that it is now 10 minutes until dinner is usually on the table and I haven't planned anything. No? That doesn't happen to you? Okay, so maybe it is only me. Either way, this happened two nights ago when we were driving home from the local Children's Museum (that we used the library's free pass to get in!! Love my local library!). In the last few minutes home I started to think about what exactly we could have. The result was pasta.

Normally I love to make our own pasta from our fresh eggs but with the terrible cold snap we have been having, our eggs have been few. I try to keep a couple of packages of pasta in the pantry for nights such as these. I also knew that I had some ground pork in the refrigerator that had fallen out of the freezer a day or two ago and I couldn't find a place to get it back in. Here is our quick result:

One Pot Pork and Pasta
served 2 adults and 3 small ones with an extra serving left over.

1/2 lb ground pork or any ground meat (I bet that you could use leftover chicken or cubed chicken if you had that laying around) * optional
1 can diced tomatoes - do not drain
minced garlic
sage
salt and pepper
1/2 package of pasta
basil
crushed red pepper
1/2 slice of bacon - just the fatty portion
Grated cheese

1. Put on a pot of water (you can use the cast iron pan you are going to cook in or a separate on, making this a two pot meal) and boil pasta al dente. Do not over cook the pasta, it will finish cooking in the sauce. Drain.
2. Brown ground meat with sage and bacon fat.
3. Add minced garlic and mix, allowing the garlic to cook just a little.
4. Add tomatoes, sprinkle with basil, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Mix and heat to combine flavors.
5. Add pasta and allow the pasta to finish cooking in pan.
6. When pasta is cooked, add 1/2 of the grated cheese and mix.
7. Serve hot with a garnish of cheese.

This was amazing and really simple. I didn't add the amount of seasonings because some people don't like the sauce too spicy or with too much basil. Start with a pinch of red pepper flakes and a 1/4 tsp of basil and taste.

I served cold carrots and celery as a first course, while I finished everything up in the cast iron pan. This would have been even better if I had had extra bread leftover that I made into garlic bread. Alas, this was just a simple, thrown together meal with items in our pantry and refrigerator. I will definitely keep this recipe and pull out pork with the intention to make it. Also, if you prefer a smother sauce without the chucks, use an immersion blender to smooth the tomatoes before adding them to the pot.

Enjoy!

This article was shared on The Homesteading Hippy,