Living as a college student sure can be hard sometimes, especially in the harsh winters of Ann Arbor, where to wander out to find dinner can mean -10 degree winds sloughing skin off your face. For the next couple weeks, look forward to some delicious, easy pasta dishes without actually having to learn how to “cook.”

Today’s dish is simple penne pasta with balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing.

Ingredients:
1 lb of penne pasta (or any of your favorite shapes, like those funny wagon wheels or tennis rackets)
black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 teaspoons balsalmic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt, salt for the water
Parmesan cheese

1. Put water in the largest pot you’ve got, and beginning heating it on high.

2. Add salt until it “tastes like the sea.”

3. When water is boiling, add pasta. Do not add the pasta before the water is boiling or your pasta will be gross.

4. Boil for about 10 minutes until al dente (taste test after 6 minutes to test for doneness, and keep doing so until it’s done), then strain in colander (or pour out the water carefully if you don’t own one). Don’t rinse the pasta, it will make your pasta cold and un-starchy.

6. Add olive oil.

7. Add balsamic vinegar.

8. Toss! (Or mix with a large spoon)

9. Top with Parmesan cheese and black pepper (to taste).

Voila! Edible, easy-to-make food. Add some fresh torn basil to add some green if you’re into that kind of thing.

Photos by Winnie Jeng.