Oftentimes, I’ll create a recipe just so I can consume a specific ingredient.

An ingredient that normal people wouldn’t dare eat solo.

Like spicy pickled peppers.

Wow those suckers are kind of amazing.

I first tried spicy pickled peppers on a hippie pizza.

Seattle pizzas can get a little crazy sometimes, but in the best way possible.

Usually.

Spicy pickled peppers, artichoke hearts, sweet caramelized onion, fresh baby spinach, and tangy goat cheese sure make a mean meatless pizza.

Four slices of that stuff disappear fast when placed in front of my face.

With the help of a fork, because I’ve burned the roof of my mouth 53 too many times trying to inhale a steaming hot slice of pie.

At that point, it’s kind of hard to enjoy the rest of the pizza.

Don’t worry though, I generally don’t chow down on veggie burgers with a fork in hand.

That’s a little weird.

Now, sometimes I don’t feel like whipping up a homemade pizza (or dragging my makeup-free, sweats-clad rear to the pizza parlor.)

Pasta tends to be much easier.

Therefore, all of those lovely pizza ingredients mentioned above got thrown into a big pot of whole wheat fusilli, along with tomato basil pasta sauce, Parmesan cheese, fresh ground black pepper and Italian parsley.

A fork is kind of required in this case, so dig in!

P.S. I love Mama Lil’s Pickled Mildly Spicy Peppers with Garlic in Oil, but you can use any spicy pickled pepper that you manage to get your hands on.

P.P.S. If you’re not a fan of spice, go ahead and be super boring and leave out the peppers. Or start with 1/4 to 1/2 cup and work your way up in life.

P.P.P.S. You can either A) stir the goat cheese into the pasta for a creamier dish, or B) crumble the cheese on top right before serving. Or, C) be a goat cheese hater and avoid it like the plague.

P.P.P.P.S. It was an exceptionally gray day in Seattle, so the photos of my pasta dinner turned out exceptionally crappy. Sun, where you at man??