Notion's Notions

I need to let you in on a little secret that will majorly upgrade your lazy one-pot meals forever.

Pasta sauce... is soup.

The best pasta sauces. Are soup. Cook your pasta in soup. What's the most common issue with canned soup? Not enough stuff in there, too much liquid. And cheaper storebought pasta sauce? Not enough flavor. A single can of any off-the-shelf soup is going to taste way better, already have veggies and (if you want it) meat cooked in, and is just as easy to prepare. All of these take only one pot (and occasionally, a colander) and about as much time as it takes to boil pasta.

We have but one rule: no spaghetti or other long noodles. Take my word for it.

The holy trinity of Pasta is Soup:

The Father: Cream of (Insert thing here)

The backbone of the casserole, but the Cream of- concentrate is highly underappreciated outside of this single box. Cream of Mushroom is my favorite, just enough richness without the overwhelming taste of some of the meat options. And I am not one who likes mushrooms, but the chunks are small enough that their texture isn't an issue. Plus, if your tastes align with mine, canned meat flavored things tend to take the can taste a little stronger, or will be far too salty to combat this. But you may prefer Cream of Chicken or your other various substitutes.

Step 1: Cook your pasta in water like normal. Drain.

Step 2: Prepare your mix-ins. If you want to get fancy, this is where you can cook some ground meat, sliced chicken breast, veggies or garlic. If you're like me you toss in some onion and frozen grean beans. Cook as desired, olive oil is good.

Step 3: Sauce. I use about a half a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Concentrated Soup for 2 servings of pasta. Add the concentrate to the pot, and 1/4 cup of water for every half can. You don't want to mix it with the recommended amount of water, we're making a sauce here not a soup. This ratio can take some time to really feel in your soul.

Step 4: Pasta. Throw in your noodles and stir.

Step 5: Season. Or not. There's a decent amount in the soup already, but I always throw in a little more pepper, garlic power, onion power. The basics. Don't think too hard about it. That's it! You're done!

The Son: Whatever's in your Pantry

Look I can give you a proper recipe, or I can just tell you to grab whetever wattery soup is in your pantry right now, toss it into a pot, add in a serving of pasta, and top off with either chicken stock or milk as the water level goes down.

The Holy Ghost: Butternut Squash Puree

If you take one thing away from this mad ramble have it be this. Butternut (or other) squash puree. The ones in the cartons in the fancy organic section of the store. This is my real recipe for you, it actually tastes like fancy resturant food, using the same techniques and only slightly more expensive ingredients than the previous two.

Step 1: Prepare your mix-ins. The absolute peak of this is spicy Italian sausage, some greens, onion, and garlic, sauteed with some olive oil. But you don't have to even think about getting this fancy. All of this will get boiled in the sauce, so the intent here is to get a good carmelization, don't worry about cooking anything all the way through. If you plan on adding frozen veg, wait to add it until the pasta is halfway through.

Step 2: Sauce. Half a carton of puree to four servings of pasta. You feel it in your soul. Add an extra half cup of either water, chicken stock, or milk.

Step 3: Pasta. Cover until boiling. As the soup is soaked up by the noodles, keep an eye on the liquid level and top it off with water or liquid of your choice. You want it to reduce to a thick soup, not sludge, and extra liquid will keep it from burning on the bottom. It will take a little longer to cook than pasta in water. At about the halfway point is when you will add any frozen veggies.

Step 4: Additions. Time to season, the usual suspects: pepper, garlic powder, onion powder. A little smoked paprika if you're fancy. Fresh parsley is especially good in this, and nothing feels more luxurious than a bit of sour cream mixed in right before you plate.

I have brought this to potlucks and I would serve this at a nice dinner party. It can be made with 100% shelf-stable foods (the meat can be ground, so freezer burn is of little worry) and 100% dairy-free, meat-free, and vegan if you so choose. It has the consistancy of mac-n-cheese and the flavor of a cozy fall day. This is the highlight of my cooking career.