Cooking while on a road trip involves balancing several conflicting factors: variety vs. lack of time and/or places to shop, complexity vs. packing light and minimizing waste, speed vs. taste, and the list goes on. We love eating pasta at home but generally prefer more involved preparations like when Anna homemakes pasta while Dan makes a tangy puttanesca which we usually prepare using fresh tomatoes, olives and capers. With early sunsets in the desert winter which rapidly crater temperatures, we developed this simple recipe with speed in mind. The result is you can have a dish 90% as delicious as the 2+ hour home cooked method in less than 10 minutes. The key is using tapenade or brined olives and/or capers (feel free to add extra brine) to get the puttanesca tang to cut through the meaty flavor of the plant-based meatballs with a not-too-subtle dry red wine flavor if you have available. We also use pre-cooked pasta so we can keep to one (heaping) pan and to save gas.

1/2 Pound Beyond Meat or other “fake” meat shaped into balls

1/2 Medium onion, roughly chopped

1 Hefty pour of red wine (optional)

2 Hearty spoonfulls of olive tapenade or brined olives/capers, roughly chopped

1 Large splash of olive or other oil

2 Cloves of minced garlic or garlic powder

2/3 Jar of store bought sauce (can sub canned whole tomatoes)

1/2 Pound pre-cooked pasta, gnocchi or 1/4 pound dried pasta (longer cooking time)

1) Add a splash of oil to a non-stick pan and heat over medium-ish flame depending on your heat source

2) Add the meatballs and stir and cook until well browned on all sides (or at least defrosted and warmed throughout if you're in a hurry)

3) If using dried pasta or gnocchi with a longer cooking time, separately boil a few minutes shorter than package instructions to be quite al dente (will cook more once combined). You can add pasta to cold water to save time ( just as delicious) but will have to monitor more closely

4) Add the onions and a bit more oil and continue to cook until softened, then add the garlic or garlic powder. if using fennel or peppers, add here as well

5) Add the pre-made sauce and bring to simmer for a few minutes or if using whole tomatoes simmer for about 5-10 minutes until soft. Add in the red wine here if using

6) Add pre-cooked or partially cooked pasta to the pan to combine and serve

7) Top bowls with vegan cheese, pepper and/or pepper flakes if available