Semi-Homemade Pasta Sauce
Today is a good day to clean up your pantry. Check your fridge and spice rack to see if you have Italian seasoning, ripening tomatoes, and aromatics like garlic and onions. This week is my time to clean up and use what I already have. I came up with this pasta dish to use up my spaghetti sauce sitting in my pantry.
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what you need to make this recipe:
- A good quality pasta sauce. I used Simply Nature organic tomato basil pasta sauce.
- Half the package of Angel Hair Pasta or 8 oz. Cook according to the package instructions.
- A cup and half of Shredded Rotisserie Chicken breast.
- For the aromatics, I used garlic and onion
- For additional herbs and veggies – I used vine tomatoes and fresh basil leaves
- I used soy sauce for the seasonings, which gives your dish an umami flavor. I also added Italian seasoning, brown sugar, salt, and red chili pepper flakes.
what to serve it with:
Most people eat their pasta with garlic bread. And those watching their carb intake might just want to eat their pasta with side salad or grilled meat. I normally just eat my pasta by itself.
substitutions:
For the meat, you can use ground chicken, ground beef, ground pork, or even ground turkey. If you like to use seafood, add shrimps or lobster. If you use lobster, then this dish won’t be budget friendly, you know lobster is gold! You can add more veggies like carrot, zucchini, or bell pepper. Vegetables are amazing fillers, and not as high priced as meat (not always but most of the time).
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recipe
Semi-Homemade Pasta Sauce
Equipment
- Stockpot
- Chef knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 vine tomatoes, diced
- 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 24 oz. store-bought pasta sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 8 oz. cooked pasta
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, rough chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a pot with oil. Add the onion, and cook for a minute or until tender.
- Add the garlic, and continue sauteing until fragrant. Season with salt, red chili pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and soy sauce, and stir to combine.
- Add the diced tomatoes, chicken, and pasta sauce, rinse the jar with water and add it to the pot. Add brown sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the pasta, and stir until the pasta is well coated with the sauce. Garnish with fresh basil, and sprinkle Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
Hi there! Nice to meet you. My name is Jen.
I’m a mom of 2 wonderful girls. I love to prepare and cook home-cooked meals. Cooking and planning your meals might sound like another chore added to your already long list of things to do. Believe me, I’ve been there. However, cooking more meals at home is worth all the effort. After years of cooking for my family and teaching culinary classes, I can honestly say that I have more control over the quality of the ingredients I use. That means I’m eating a lot better. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring and you don’t have to eat the same thing repeatedly. There are ways we can do and naturally enhance the flavor of our food and enjoy home-cooked meals.