Martha Stewart's 3-Ingredient Fettuccine Is The Perfect Busy Day Meal

Once bustling weekdays arrive, dinner prep understandably loses priority. Subsequently, it's wise to keep a selection of easy weeknight meals on hand; just glance at the concepts, and a trip to the grocery store may not even be necessary — especially if you choose one of the many dishes Martha Stewart improves with a single ingredient. Well, for a simple dish to add to amidst hectic weeknights, try out Martha Stewart's three-ingredient fettuccine.

If you're unfamiliar, a classic fettuccine alfredo recipe dresses pasta with butter, cream, and parmesan (as well as garnishes like parsley and black pepper). Stewart simplifies the dish even further, nixing the cream – which is traditional. Instead, she ups the quantity of butter and parmesan, and uses some of the pasta water to bind the sauce together. The result's still decadent and flavorful, but it relies on components that are likely already lying around the house.

Furthermore, her recipe skips one of the trickiest aspects of assembling classic fettuccine: warming the cream. The less-traditional version of the sauce relies on low and slow cooking, in which the butter is melted and then the parmesan is stirred in. As cream curdles easily, the hands-on process requires constant attentiveness — a tiresome chore once evening rolls around. Instead, Martha Stewart savvily uses a stand mixer to whip the parmesan and butter into a paste, which then simply coats the pasta. 

Pasta's a reliable weeknight choice, and Martha Stewart's rendition isn't the only minimalist rendition of a classic. A range of other recipes employ pantry staples to creative effect, generating delicious versions without much fuss.

For instance, you could also craft a three-ingredient mac and cheese, opting for shelf-stable evaporated milk, a cheese of your choosing, and macaroni. Simmered with water and the hot pasta, the two ingredients do create a tasty, thick sauce. Sure, it won't be quite as decadent as a roux-based mac and cheese recipe, but for a 15-minute mealtime, the tradeoff's worthwhile.

And if you're not feeling a cheesy dinner, consider whipping up a pasta sauce using tomatoes, onions, and butter. To attain an ideally simmered consistency, you'll need to saute the onions and then reduce the tomatoes for around 45 minutes; however, it's a predominantly hands-off process. Dolloped over strands of spaghetti, the dish delights with a vibrant fruitiness.

Finally, don't rule out crafting a pasta dinner heavy on an herb. Simply basil, salt, and olive oil are enough to add a delightful tinge to noodles. Throw the ingredients into a processor to attain a uniform consistency, then spoon over freshly boiled pasta; it's a zippy yet easy weeknight meal.