By Autumn Dawson
Pepperoni Pasta
For everyone who read the column title expecting a gossip review of the events that went down last Saturday night on Northgate sorry to disappoint, but there will be no assessment of half-naked, drunk idiots here. Instead, I will be writing about the next best thing: delicious food for the non-gourmet chefs, on the average broke college student’s budget.
This week will be a great dish for anyone who loves Italian.
Serving Size: 4 normal people (2 starving—are there any other kind?—males)
Preparation Method: Stove-Top (oven is optional)
Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes
Total Time: Under 30 Minutes
Difficulty Level: My puppy, if he had opposable thumbs
Ingredients:
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can pasta-style chunky tomatoes
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 (3.5-ounce) package Pepperoni
- 4 cups hot, cooked tortellini (I use Buitoni: Three Cheese Tortellini)
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350
- Boil water, which you will cook the tortellini in for about 8-10 minutes. (Check the directions on the package you buy.)
- While pasta is cooking, put the ricotta cheese in a large saucepan on medium. Once the cheese melts, add the tomatoes and lower the temperature to medium-low. Stir frequently. While the sauce simmers, slice the pepperonis into halves, then add to the sauce. (If you have a spice rack, I usually sprinkle in thyme and basil, but this is not a necessity.)
- Drain the pasta once cooked, then mix the tortellini with the sauce in a baking dish. Sprinkle the top with parmesan.
- At this point, you can of course serve the dish. Or—and what I do—you can put the dish in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese turned golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, let cool for 3-4 minutes, then enjoy!