Hello and thanks for stopping by the Planet Forward blog on another Meatless Monday. We at Planet Forward took the pledge to support this sustainable practice that promotes eliminating meat from your diet one day per week with the goal of reducing meat consumption by 15% to improve personal and planetary health. A small sacrifice for a big reward.

For dinner tonight we have a delicious and easy pasta dish as we will be feasting on the flavors of the Mediterranean with the classic dish pasta puttanesca. “Puttanesca is a sauce of capers, olives, and tomatoes.” It is an inexpensive, easy, and packed with rich bold flavors. This recipe for pasta puttanesca comes courtesy of taste.com.au. Now, let’s get cooking.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 

  Pasta Puttanesca (click to enlarge)

  40ml (2 tbs) olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
• 75g pitted green olives, sliced
• 75g pitted black olives, sliced
• 6 semi-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
• 2 tbs salted capers, rinsed
• 425g can diced tomatoes
• 400g spaghetti
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
• Grated parmesan, to serve

Directions

1. Heat oil in a frypan.
2. Add garlic and chilli and cook over medium heat for 1 minute.
3. Add the olives, semi-dried tomatoes, capers and diced tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with pepper.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions.
5. Drain pasta and return to pan.
6. Add sauce and basil and toss together.
7. Serve sprinkled with parmesan.

This dish is great for any night as it’s fast and because it’s made of mainly pantry items, you can easily keep them on hand for a great last minute meal. It just may prove to be your go-to pantry dish. Just think if guests are coming over on short notice how effortless it will be to whip this dish up. Pasta puttanesca is not just a meal to make in a pinch but it will also impress the foodie(s) in your life even if you are not a gourmet chef. This dish is so simple to make, even a beginner home cook can make it and can wow then with these bold flavors. Serve along with a mixed green salad with a light balsamic vinaigrette and some fresh Italian bread if you really want to carb out.

If you want to learn more about the sustainable Meatless Monday movement, please visit meatlessmonday.com and take the pledge today.

Enjoy!