A Wallet-Friendly Pasta for Any Weeknight

What does “feel-good food” mean? It depends on whom you ask. That’s why each installment of our Feel-Good Food Plan—with delicious recipes and a few wild cards—is hosted by someone new. This month, our Test Kitchen editor Rebecca Firkser shares how she supports her own well-being after the holiday rush.

After a solid month of ignoring my home kitchen in favor of rich holiday dinners out, paying each check with a martini-fueled shrug at the total, I’m ready to head back into something resembling a routine. The start of a new year is certainly a slate-cleaning moment when it comes to making nourishing meals at home, but in terms of the actual food, I prefer a toe-dip, not a polar plunge. In my experience, overcorrecting into elimination diets on January 1 removes joy from eating. And what, I ask, is even the point of a meal if you can’t revel in its flavors?

When it comes to feeling good about food, an element equally valuable as flavor for me is budget. With every passing day, it seems like prices for even the most basic produce and protein are climbing. Striking a balance between thoughtful spending and investing in high-quality ingredients can seem like the ultimate challenge; but I reject the notion that hearty, nutrient-dense meals can’t also be cost-conscious.

Getting into the kitchen is the first step when it comes to spending less and eating something truly nourishing. There are certainly days when making dinner is yet another chore on an endless to-do list, but come these slow, dark winter nights, low-key time at home is actually exactly what I need. I understand that not everyone unwinds by chopping vegetables while catching up on the Las Culturistas podcast, but it happens to be one of my favorite ways to reset.

So, what is for dinner on such an evening? More often than not, I’m tossing together a humble pantry pasta. With the intention of nourishing both my palate and body, while keeping my supermarket receipt low, the concept checks every box. I’ll assemble a plan with a box of noodles and a low-cost vegetable playing a starring role. Think: blitzed kale, melted summer squash, or in this case, smashed broccoli. The rest of the dish comes together with various bits and bobs I always keep stocked (lemon, garlic, anchovies, chile flakes, parm). This formula is forgiving: When I’m low on pasta, I toss in a can of white beans; if I’m out of anchovies I swap in tinned sardines; no broccoli means I’m using cauliflower or frozen peas. Add some starchy pasta water and suddenly this collection of nothing-special ingredients becomes a downright craveable sauce, so good I’m eating it straight from the pan.

More Feel-Good Finds for the Month

The spatula I reach for daily

I’ll admit it: When I first opened the flat wooden spatula from Earlywood, I was skeptical. It’s chic, certainly, but what could this slender slab do that my favorite wooden spoon can’t? It does technically work like a spatula, able to turn pancakes and flip burgers; but I mostly find it to simply be the most efficient tool (far better than a chunky, curvy spoon) for stirring and scraping up the fond that builds on the bottom of a pot. It’s also especially handy for smashing up the broccoli in a certain pasta sauce.

A scrub for smooth skin

Raise your hand if you over-exfoliated as a teenager from a certain brand’s apricot-scented scrub. Same here. After taking a very long break from such products, I realized that the stuff I put on my body could stand to be slightly higher in quality, and welcomed Noto’s version into my life. I use the soothing blend of scrubby walnut shell dust, aloe, lavender, chamomile, and a host of oils (orange, jojoba, and peppermint) weekly, and it makes an everyday shower feel like a trip to the spa.

My wellness pills

It’s unfortunately still cold and flu season, and while the holiday parties have subsided, it’s hard to avoid getting sick. I’m really not a supplement girl, but make an exception for Source Naturals Wellness Formula. Whenever I start to feel under the weather, I take a few pills after every meal (really, make sure you eat first, they’re rough on an empty stomach) and the illness subsides. Call it psychosomatic if you want, but just check my sick day count.