"I don’t know about you, but I never seem to find the time to actually cook. I pin endless recipes (somehow there’s always enough time for Pinterest…), but rarely do I — if ever — bring them to life in my own kitchen. And where does that leave me? Picking up take-out for the third (okay, fourth) night in a row and feeling all the guilt about it. There is no 60 seconds to anything (except pjs) — let alone 60 seconds to perfect pasta, which is what Barilla promises with their ingenious new product.
Enter Barilla Ready Pasta, which, get this, is microwavable and al dente ready in 60 seconds. 60. freakin. seconds. Even I have time for that. Barilla Ready Pasta is made with only three simple ingredients: fully cooked al dente pasta, extra virgin olive oil, and a dash of sea salt. Which means it’s a quick and easy meal for us busy #goalgetters, while being a healthier option that actually tastes good. Win, win, win.
Here, we put together three recipes for any girl on the go to whip up in no time flat — and we even tested them in our brand-new office kitchen. The result? The quickest, easiest, and healthiest pasta dishes we’ve ever made. And if all the empty bowls lying around after were any indication… pretty delicious too.
For the veggie-obsessed:
Rotini Tossed with Asparagus & Goat Cheese
Serves: 2
Prep + Cook Time: 8 minutes
Ingredients:
Barilla Ready Pasta Rotini
1 Zucchini
3-5 Asparagus Stalks
1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes
1/4 cup Pecans
Goat Cheese (as desired)
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt To Taste
Instructions:
- Slice zucchini, asparagus, and cherry tomatoes to desired sizes — there are no rules here… have fun with it!
- Sauté zucchini, asparagus, and cherry tomatoes with a dash of EVOO, on medium heat for five minutes or until lightly browned.
- Gently knead Barilla Ready Pasta pouch to separate pasta. Tear vent at the top of the bag. Microwave on high for 60 seconds. Carefully remove pouch from microwave (use the nifty, labeled “cool touch zones” on the pouch to ensure fingers remain unburned).
- Combine pasta, zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes, and pecans in medium-sized bowl and toss with EVOO.
- Crumble goat cheese over pasta.
- Enjoy! How easy was that?!
For the protein lover:
Chicken + Mushroom Gemelli with Pesto
Serves: 2
Prep + Cook Time: 7 minutes
Ingredients:
Barilla Ready Pasta Gemelli
1/2 lb Grilled Chicken (use store bought to save extra time!)
1/2 Mushrooms
1/2 cup Pesto (store bought or make your own!)
1/3 cup Pine Nuts
Parmesan Shavings (as desired)
Salt To Taste
Instructions:
- Slice store-bought grilled chicken and mushrooms to desired thickness and size.
- Sauté mushrooms and chicken in a skillet, with a dash of EVOO, on medium heat for three minutes or until lightly browned.
- Gently knead Barilla Ready Pasta pouch to separate pasta. Tear vent at the top of the bag. Microwave on high for 60 seconds (seriously, it only takes 60 seconds — we’re just as amazed). Carefully remove pouch from microwave.
- Combine pasta, chicken, mushrooms, and pine nuts in medium-sized bowl and mix in pesto (don’t be shy… add as much as you’d like!).
- Add a few (or more than a few) parmesan shavings (shredded or grated can also work!) over the pasta.
- Dig in!
For the seafood connoisseur:
Classic Penne with Shrimp + Spinach
Serves: 2
Prep + Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
Barilla Ready Pasta Penne
1/3 lb Shrimp (precooked and deveined)
1 Garlic Clove
1/2 cup Spinach
1 Lemon
2 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pepper To Taste
Instructions:
- Slice garlic to desired size — hint on the garlic: a little goes a looooong way.
- Gently knead Barilla Ready Pasta pouch to separate pasta (this part is kind of fun, are we right?). Tear vent at the top of the bag. Microwave on high for 60 seconds. Carefully remove pouch from microwave .
- Sauté pasta, shrimp, and garlic with EVOO, on medium-heat for 2-3 minutes. Add spinach to pan and continue sautéing until spinach is lightly wilted. After sautéing, combine in medium-sized bowl.
- Slice lemon and squeeze over top of pasta.
- Dust top of pasta with pepper — feel free to yell “bam!” … or is that over?
- Settle in for a delicious meal.
This post was in partnership with Barilla, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.