Since I didn’t do a Sunday Dinner post this week, I thought I could smoosh a food-related post into a quick tip and no one would notice (or you would and you’d be like, whatever, she’s cooky, and you’d move on with your life). The truth is, however, this really is one of the fastest meals you can pull together and it’s deeeee-licious. It’s also great for a weeknight because you probably have a lot of these ingredients in your pantry already so it requires minimal shopping, and you can tailor it to what you like (or what you have on hand) quite easily. I’ve been cooking this since I was in college, so even those of you with minimal cooking ability can pull this off with aplomb.

Here we go.

Weeknight Mediterranean Pasta

You will need:

pasta (I used pappardelle because it’s what I had, but you could use practically any kind of pasta)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
red chili flakes

Plus any combination of the below ingredients:

artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
tomatoes, chopped
black, green or kalamata olives, sliced
capers
sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
fresh arugula or spinach
basil

Top with one of the following:

goat cheese
feta

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water per the package directions, strain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes (you want it to soften slightly but not brown). Add the rest of the ingredients you’re using to the pan (except the arugula, spinach, and/or basil) and sauté until warmed through, stirring often. Add one swirl of the balsamic vinegar around the pan and sprinkle in the red chili flakes to your taste.

When the ‘sauce’ is warmed through, add the pasta to the pan and stir to coat. Just before you’re ready to serve, add the arugula, spinach and/or basil so it just has time to wilt.

Dish into bowls, top with the cheese of your choice and voilà! A delectable Mediterranean pasta in under ten minutes. Enjoy!