Need an Emergency Meal?

When I used to be away from the kitchen on assignment or working into the dinner hour, I could count on Bart to get food on the table.  It was always the same meal—Spaghetti with Clam Sauce—and it was a choice the whole family liked.

These days I work more from home and thus dinner is not a crisis meal. But it’s still satisfying to serve something guaranteed to be liked.

My emergency meal at the moment
is Penne Arrabbiata.  Instead of making my own sauce, I use a large jar of marinara sauce.  It’s a great time-saver and allows the diners to add their own amount of hot sauce instead of my guessing how much they want.

Once the water boils and the penne are submerged, dinner can be served in as little as 15 minutes.

Penne Arrabbiata – serves 4 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2-pound sliced mushrooms 

1 cooked chicken sausage, sliced thinly

16-ounce jar of marinara sauce + more if needed

2 cups uncooked penne 

Hot Sauce

Grated Parmesan cheese, if desired 

Half-fill a large pot with water, cover and begin heating over high heat. 

Meanwhile, make the sauce.  Begin heating the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and stir until they soften, about 4 minutes.  Add the sliced sausage and the jar of marinara sauce.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

When the water comes to a boil, add the penne and stir so that the noodles don’t cling to each other.  Set the timer according to the directions on the penne package.

About 5 minutes before the penne are fully cooked, begin heating the marina sauce mixture.  Stir occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn’t get so thick that it sticks to the bottom of the pan.  Add 1/4 cup water if it gets too thick.  Turn off the heat, cover and set aside. 

When the timer rings, taste a noodle.  If it’s too chewy, cook for another minute.  Drain the noodles in a colander, shaking the colander to make sure all the water drains.  Transfer the noodles to the pot of marinara sauce and stir steadily until the sauce covers the noodles.  Add extra marinara sauce if necessary and stir thoroughly.

Transfer the Penne Arrabbiata to a large bowl and serve family style.  Offer hot sauce and Parmesan cheese.

                   For more recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"