Alex Guarnaschelli’s 5-Ingredient Summer Pasta Gets Dinner on the Table in Less Than 15 Minutes

Thanks to a few store-bought shortcuts.

We love to know what our favorite celebrities and celebrity chefs cook up after a busy day at work, when the last thing anyone wants to do is cook. That's especially true in the summer, when we'd rather be spending time with friends and family outside than heating up the kitchen to make an elaborate meal.

We recently sat down with Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, who knows a thing or two about keeping recipes simple, to find out what she makes for those summertime meals when you just need to get something quick, yet still delicious, on the table.

“In a little June lull, I will make pasta with tomato. You can fry tomato paste in a pan with a little garlic and olive oil and add a splash of either cream or sour cream—or even milk to be lighter—to loosen it. Then just toss cooked pasta in that,” Guarnaschelli told Allrecipes in an interview about her partnership with Ziploc.

If you want, you can add a little fresh basil to garnish the dish, Guarnaschelli says. Then you’ve got a five-ingredient meal that is ready in just about the same time as it takes to boil pasta.

That’s not all, though; the “Alex vs. America” chef says that this simple sauce is also a great one to freeze ahead and use later when you’re in a pinch.

“You know what I’m going to say: you can eat a big bowl of the pasta now, because that’s what you’re going to do when you make it. But meal prep-wise, you could portion it, pop it in the freezer, and throw fresh basil on it once it's heated,” she said. “So you have that kind of combination effect, which is something easy, but also something in your back pocket, ready for those moments when you don’t really want to cook.”

In fact, Guarnaschelli says she wishes she would have meal prepped more as a home cook—but especially when entertaining.

“I wish I’d had the confidence to know that's it okay to make some things in advance and stash them either in the freezer or fridge and then hunker down on a few specific things, instead of doing everything,” she said.

The “Ciao House” judge grew up in a household where everything was cooked from scratch, and you had to wait until everything was done before you could eat. Now, with recipes like her five-ingredient pasta—and her partnership with Ziploc—she’s able to focus on an easy summer menu, make things in advance, and not always worry about the actual cooking when entertaining.

“It’s important to understand that these cooking tips actually lead you to a place where you enjoy your life more, because you’re more organized in what you’re doing,” Guarnaschelli said. “I would have enjoyed my friends and guests more. And I probably would have liked what I served more, too.”

When you’re ready to prep Guarnaschelli’s five-ingredient pasta, you can either eyeball it depending on how much pasta you have, or you can follow this recipe that we developed based on the ingredients she gave.

How To Make Alex Guarnaschelli’s Summer Pasta

Ingredients:

• ½ pound dry pasta

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

• 2 tablespoons sour cream
  

• Fresh basil (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve about ¼ cup of pasta water. Drain.

2. While pasta is cooking, heat a pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and once that's hot sauté garlic until fragrant. Add tomato paste, adding a little water to loosen it, if needed. Cook for a few minutes until the color has deepened and no metallic taste remains.

3. Turn off the heat and stir in sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta water a little at a time until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

4. Toss the cooked pasta in the sauce and garnish with fresh basil, if desired.

Note: Guarnaschelli didn't mention any seasonings for the sauce. We added freshly ground black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste, but you can use whatever seasonings you like. We also topped the dish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.