Pasta with Green Beans and Gorgonzola
I usually have two eating modes: 1) making a nice meal, sitting down at the table, or 2) eating food straight from the fridge/pantry/in front of the sink. I guess there are three if you count going out or shoveling things into my mouth at my desk at work. I do both all the time a lot.
When I lived at home, I used to eat a lot in front of the TV. Then when I moved out on my own, I realized I don’t like to watch TV [seriously, I bought cable and the box stayed unplugged for MONTHS], so that usually puts me into mode one or two. One when Andrew’s home; two when it’s just me. An entire bag of pita chips and hummus totally make a meal.
Occasionally I’ll eat my Chinese take out while sitting on the couch, but that just results in the dog staring in hopes I’ll give her some so she’ll stop staring. That’s a vicious cycle to get yourself into. No matter how sad the puppy eyes, do not feed the dog those crunchy chow mien noodles. She won’t go away.
Then there are the times I pretend I’m on a date with myself and set a place setting. I may even make myself a cocktail [Campari and soda, kthx]. This pasta was totally one of those evenings. It’s a total pantry meal, which hardly ever happens. I would actually need food in the pantry for that to happen. I had a jar of green beans from my grandma’s canning spree, so I was pretty good to go. It’s a simple sauce of olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and a healthy dose of crumbled and shredded gorgonzola. Simple. Easy. Totally customizable.
CONFESSION: In the end, I totally ate this on the couch. Roma likes green beans.
Ingredients
- 4oz dried pasta [I used linguine]
- 1 jar/can of whole green beans
- 1 glove of garlic, minced
- 4-5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, minced
- 1oz shredded gorgonzola
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- chile flakes
Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat in a large enough pan to hold the pasta. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and green beans. Sauté for a couple of minutes until the green beans are warmed through. Turn the heat off, add the pasta, the remaining olive oil, and the 3/4 of the gorgonzola. Stir until the cheese starts to melt a little and the pasta is reheated. Plate [or just eat it straight from the pan]. Top with the remaining gorgonzola and some chile flakes for some spice.
There’s nothing like making a great dinner for yourself. 🙂 I wonder why more people don’t do pasta with green beans? It’s definitely one of my favorites (albeit with fresh beans and parmesan, but still).
Mmmm, fresh beans and Parmesan. Always a good choice!
Mmm, campari and soda maaay just be on my dinner-accompaniment menu for tonight. Or I may be feelin’ frisky enough to go full negroni… Option 2 is just my style. Especially if chips and dip are involved. Or goat cheese and crackers. It may be one of those tonight, because I have nothing planned. Although, now I’m thinking Chinese takeout. With Italian alcohol? Why not.
I’ve been craving goat cheese something fierce since you started buying it at the farmer’s market. Maybe I’ll get some tonight to go with who knows what.