Easy pantry pasta for the night you have nothing planned
This is the recipe for the evening after a big restaurant order, when the fridge holds a few leftover vegetables and half a chicken dish. It uses pantry staples and takes fifteen minutes.
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Ingredients
- 6 oz spaghetti or any pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 to 2 cups leftover cooked vegetables or protein
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- 1 teaspoon chili oil (optional)
- Salt, pepper and grated cheese
Steps
- Boil the pasta in salted water until just under done. Save 1/2 cup of the water.
- Warm the olive oil in a wide pan and cook the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the leftovers and warm through.
- Add the pasta and a splash of pasta water. Toss until glossy.
- Finish with chili oil, pepper and cheese.
The idea
Cook pasta, build a sauce from olive oil, garlic and a splash of the pasta water, then fold in whatever is left. Leftover garlic greens from a takeout order are good here, as is leftover chicken.
If you have extra dumplings, slice and pan-fry them into the mix, or see the air fryer guide for a simple side.
What to add
Cooked vegetables go in at the end so they stay bright. Leftover meat is best warmed in the pan first. A spoonful of chili oil, the kind that comes with your takeout, makes the sauce interesting. Finish with grated cheese or a squeeze of lemon.
Leftover ideas that work
Garlic greens, roasted chicken, fried rice vegetables, sautéed mushrooms and even leftover dumplings, sliced and fried, all work. Avoid anything saucy, since it fights with the pasta water.
Finish with something sharp: lemon juice, a spoon of vinegar from the dipping sauce, or grated hard cheese. A little acid wakes up leftover flavors.
Questions people ask
What leftovers work best?
Cooked vegetables, roast chicken, sausage or sautéed greens.
Can I add dumplings?
Yes. Pan-fry sliced dumplings first and stir them in at the end.
How do I keep the sauce from being dry?
Save pasta water and add it a spoon at a time.