It's Tuesday night and you haven't had a chance to get to the grocery store in a while. But before you reach for the takeout menu, consider that you could instead whip up a delicious and satisfying pasta with the ingredients you already have in your kitchen.

Sounds crazy? Not when you realize that the widely loved Italian dish, pasta a aglio e olio, is little more than the pasta tossed with a judicious amount of garlic and olive oil (and maybe some crushed red pepper flakes). Then there's pasta puttanesca. Made by simmering together tomatoes, capers, olives, and anchovies, the ingredients for this classic dish come primarily by way of can, jar, and box; yet its bold flavors are tremendously satisfying. Pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans) is another good example, if you take the shortcut of using canned beans over dried.

Indeed, all of the of the La Cucina Italiana recipes featured here come together quickly and are made with ingredients that most people can find with a quick perusal of the pantry or fridge. (Though we call these “pastas from the pantry” some of the most-used ingredients are those long-lasting refrigerator and freezer staples, such as cured meats, hard cheeses, citrus fruits, and frozen peas.) 

But what is perhaps more fun than executing established recipes with pantry ingredients is improvising one yourself, which is easy to do. The biggest "secret" is to keep a good inventory of Italian-inspired ingredients (see the suggestions below) and follow these tips:

Tips for improvising pasta from the pantry:

Consider the shape of your pasta. Obviously, the recipe you create is going to be based on pasta. Like most people, you probably have a few shapes on hand: long strands, such as spaghetti and fettucine; short tubes like penne and rigatoni; and more whimsical shapes like orecchiette. In general, chunkier sauces want to be paired with tubes or shapes so that the crevices can catch the yummy bits of the sauce. Longer, smoother noodles tend to go best with oil-based sauces, while thicker strands, like fettuccine and tagliatelle, can stand up to cream sauces and ragùs.

Start your sauce with some aromatics. A savory foundation is the key to giving all sauces, even quick ones, a depth of flavor. In Italy, most soups, stews, and sauces, begin with sautéing a mix of finely chopped celery, onion, and carrot in fat. Called a battuto, this mixture, like a mirepoix, creates a savory base. It’s a good idea to begin your quick pasta sauce similarly, even if you don’t have all of the ingredients to make up a true battuto. A little onion, garlic, shallots (or a mix) will do the trick. If you plan to use bacon or pancetta, add it now as well, along with any hearty herbs or an anchovy. And don’t forget crushed red pepper flakes; a tiny pinch provides great flavor quick without too much heat.

Add other ingredients according to cooking time. By nature, the ingredients you add to a pantry sauce—capers, canned tuna, sun-dried tomatoes—don’t need long cooking. However, you will want them to have some time together in the pan to marry their flavors. Add those ingredients that don’t want a lot of heat last.

Bind the a sauce with a little liquid. Once your ingredients are in the pan, they will need a little liquid to give them a more sauce-like feel. This can be as simple as retaining some of the pasta cooking water and adding that to the sauce. More flavorful options include chicken broth, canned tomatoes with their juice, and/or heavy cream. Once you add the liquid, continue cooking the sauce until the liquid is reduced. This will give you a deeper flavor and a better texture. For non-cream sauces, a drizzle of olive oil added just before serving, can moisten the pasta and adds a pleasant unctuousness.

Consider a sprinkle of cheese for richness. Hard cheese, such as Grana Padano, Pecorino, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, will last for weeks in the fridge, so it’s not difficult to keep them around. Grate, shave, or crumble these cheese into your pasta for added richness. If you're the type who always keeps a variety of cheese in the fridge, your options can only expand. 

Finish the pasta with an exclamation mark. A final hit of flavor can transform a pantry pasta into something really special. Toasted pine nuts or breadcrumbs, added at the last minute to retain their crunch, can add textural excitement. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice or a tiny splash of vinegar is often just the pick me up a pasta dish needs to make it sing. Fresh herbs, which can be considered a pantry staple for anyone who has a sunny windowsill, can add a dose of bright flavor as will finely grated citrus zest. For a real “wow” garnish, fry some capers in a little oil and sprinkle them over the pasta. And don't forget about salt. Keeping in mind that some pantry items (broth, capers, and even some tomatoes) can be salty, don't go overboard with it. Yet a pinch of flaked sea salt, can really boost a pasta's overall flavor.    

Stocking the pasta pantry

All of these ingredients may be found at a well-stocked supermarket. However, your pastas will taste even better if you use the highest quality ingredients, so do some taste testing and look to Italian markets and specialty stores for the best examples of each. 

DRY GOODS:
Most of these ingredients will last for a year or more in the cupboard.  

• Dried pasta (keep a stash of different shapes and lengths)
• Capers (salt-packed are best; be sure to rinse well before using)
• Olives (avoid canned if possible, even better, get them at the deli department and keep them refrigerated)
• Anchovies (again salt-packed tend to be of better quality than oil; though either will add wonderful savory flavor)
• Canned tuna (preferably imported and in oil)
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• High quality canned tomatoes (buy a variety of sized cans, whole and diced)
• Pine nuts, walnuts, almonds (these will keep even longer in the freezer; consider toasting them briefly in a dry pan to bring out their flavor)
• Breadcrumbs (or make your own in seconds by whirring some bread, or even an English muffin, in a food processor; use fresh or toast lightly on a baking sheet for crunch)
• Olive oil (regular for sauteing; extra-virgin for finishing)
• Canned beans and chickpeas (drain and rinse before using)
• Chicken broth (low-sodium is the way to go with purchased broth; some brands come in convenient 8-ounce packages)
• Crushed red pepper flakes (and other dried hearty spices such as black pepper, oregano, and thyme)

PRODUCE:
These are the items that most well-stocked kitchens always have on hand. 

• Garlic
• Onions (look for a bag with a variety of sizes to suit different needs)
• Shallots
• Celery
• Carrots
• Lemon (and other citrus)
• Fresh parsley (though tender, it keeps well and is relatively inexpensive)

IN THE FRIDGE OR FREEZER
Some freezers can yield a bounty, such as frozen shrimp and homemade broths. But these cold items tend to be most common. 

• Cream (cream lasts longer than milk)
• Butter (unsalted)
• Eggs
• Hard cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano (skip the pre-grated stuff and buy chunks of cheese to grate yourself; it will last longer and freshly grated tastes better)
• Soft and crumbly cheeses (ricotta, goat cheese, gorgonzola)
• Bacon (and other cured meats, including pancetta)
• Frozen peas (peas take best to being frozen, but corn, spinach, and artichokes are other good options for a weeknight pasta) 

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