Spanish-Style Fideos with Swiss Chard

THE CHALLENGE

Constructing a complex-flavored pasta dish with depth.

THE CONVENTION

Simmering a sauce for hours or going through multiple steps to layer flavor.

THE QUICKIE

Toasting the noodles in the oven first, and then adding the golden pasta directly to a saffron-laced sauce, where it soaks up flavor rapidly as it cooks and softens.

Pasta is a natural go-to for a quick supper, but even the best of us can get slightly world-weary at preparing a dinner of sauce tossed over boiled noodles plus add-ins, no matter how lively or inspired. We broke the rules (and a couple of strands of capellini for good measure) to exponentially raise the flavor profile of a pasta dinner, all the while keeping the methods to our madness simple. Fideo means noodle in Spanish, and not only does this dish have an Iberian-flavored slant, giving it a Spanish name simply captures the sunny energy of redefining pasta cooking—ay-oh, fideo!

HOW THIS QUICKIE WORKS

• Thin capellini noodles are toasted in the oven to deepen their flavor
• Cooking the pasta directly in the sauce minimizes cooking time and maximizes taste (and makes for a one-dish meal)
• Ingredients like saffron, Swiss chard, and red pepper give the best flavor bang for your buck

HOW THIS QUICKIE COOKS UP

A savory sauce accented with cream and wine provide a luscious base. Garlic, onion, roasted red peppers, and saffron contribute to the complexity of this dish and give it a Spanish flair. The saffron lends a distinct reddish-gold color, notes of honey and grass, and a slight bitterness (beautifully intensified by swiss chard) to our fideos. Once the toasted noodles get added to the pot, it takes a few minutes of stirring for the noodles to become coated with the sauce and soften.