Midnight Pasta

Here's another recipe from the Barefoot Contessa.

It has been added to our family recipe book.

It's called Midnight Pasta because

it's what chefs make when

the restaurant has closed its doors for the night.

A few of the ingredients are olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

As Ina often says,

how bad can that be?

While cooking 1 lb. of pasta, the sauce gets started.

(Reserve 1 1/2 C pasta water when draining.)

In 1/3 C of olive oil, place 6-8 cloves garlic

and add red pepper flakes to your taste (1/4-3/4 t) .

Cook for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is brown, but not burned.

Then add the pasta water.

Add 1 t salt and let cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta, stir well and then add 1/2 C parsley.

To finish, 1 C of parmesan cheese can be stirred in,

but it isn't necessary if you want to keep this vegan.

White beans from the freezer were added to our version,

to add a bit of protein and fiber.

Fresh sweet peas, asparagus or sliced red peppers

would also make a wonderful rendition.

***For the gluten-free version, just use rice or corn pasta.

A few simple ingredients and less than 20 minutes in the kitchen?

This one's a keeper.

Enjoy!