Beginner Cooking for First Apartment Easy Tasty Recipes to Try Now
A simple, quick, and forgiving pasta recipe perfect for beginners in their first apartment, using pantry-friendly ingredients and basic cooking skills.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/4 cup olive oil (60 ml)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 150g)
- 8 ounces dried pasta (225g), any shape
- 14 ounces canned tomatoes (400g), whole peeled or crushed
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional, 50g)
Instructions
- Prep everything first: chop onion, mince garlic, measure pasta, and have canned tomatoes ready (5–8 minutes).
- Boil pasta in salted water until just shy of al dente, about 8–10 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; sauté diced onion until translucent and sweet, about 3 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to avoid browning.
- Pour in canned tomatoes with juices; break them up if whole. Add salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
- Drain pasta, reserving some pasta water. Toss pasta into skillet with sauce, stirring to coat. Add reserved pasta water if needed to loosen sauce (2 minutes).
- Remove skillet from heat; stir in freshly grated Parmesan if using. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (1 minute).
Notes
Save some pasta water to help the sauce cling to the pasta. Cook onions and garlic slowly to bring out sweetness and avoid bitterness. Use freshly grated Parmesan and add it off heat to prevent clumping. Simmer sauce longer if watery. Cook pasta slightly less than package instructions to avoid mushiness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approxima
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 450
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 12
Keywords: beginner cooking, first apartment recipes, easy pasta recipe, quick dinner, pantry staples, simple cooking, beginner-friendly