Lazy Pasta from the Garden and the Pantry

After a weekend with my parents, I headed home with bunches of fresh herbs from my mother’s fabulous garden and absolutely no desire to go to the grocery store. But that’s OK because I can make a fabulous fast pasta aglio e olio style with stuff that’s in my pantry and fridge. As long as you have pasta, olive oil, and garlic, you can make this dish and throw in anything else you have on hand or want to use up. While I’ve included the recipe for what I did below, it’s really more of an approach than a specific recipe. For the herbs, I had thyme, marjoram, savory, tarragon, and parsley, but any herbs will do. If you don’t have fresh, you can use dried (just use much less). I had olives and sun-dried tomatoes, so in they went. If you have a fresh tomato or two, throw them in. Canned diced tomatoes would work, as well. Add a fistful of capers. Anchovies would be delicious. You could use goat cheese if you don’t have Parmesan. No cheese? No problem. You get the point. It’ll never be the same twice but it will always be delicious!

Pasta with Fresh Herbs (6 to 8 servings)

• 1 lb. linguini, cooked and drained.
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 cup fresh chopped herbs
• ¼ cup chopped black olives
• ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and fresh herbs and cook about 1 minute. Add the olives and sun-dried tomatoes and cook another minute. Add the cooked linguini and toss to coat. Add the cheese and toss, cooking until pasta, herbs, and cheese are well mixed.