Last weekend I got an email from Robyn with a link to this really cool recipe over at Apron Strings. I love cooking pasta and rice in liquids other than water, so this idea for a one pot pasta dish (which is originally from Martha Stewart Living Magazine) was right up my alley!
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This dish is incredibly easy and super flavorful. The pasta cooks in a mixture of broth, herbs, and aromatics, like onion and garlic, which really ramp up the flavor. The starch that dissolves off of the pasta as it cooks helps create a thick sauce right in the pot. It’s magic! So fast, so easy, and SO flavorful. I do want to mention, though, that if you’re the type of person that can’t handle pasta any other way than al dente, you may not like this one. The pasta can get a little soft, if you let it cook even just a little too long.
I made a few changes to the original recipe, as usual, to fit my needs. First, instead of using fresh basil, which can cost an arm and a leg, I used frozen spinach for a pop of green and increased the dried basil to make up for the flavor. Second, I wanted more “stuff” in my pasta, so I used a larger can of diced tomatoes and reduced the amount of vegetable broth to compensate. Lastly, I added a light sprinkle of shaved Parmesan over top. Other great ideas for add-ins: mushrooms, parmesan, artichoke hearts, or olives.
I think next time I’ll save adding the frozen spinach until the end so that it will defrost and heat quickly from the pasta’s residual heat. That way the spinach will stay bright green and pretty, and it will not darken the pasta as it cooks. But hey, either way it tasted fantastic!
Tomato Spinach One Pot Pasta
Servings 6Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable broth ($0.52)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.22)
- 12 oz. fettuccine ($0.75)
- 8 oz. frozen chopped spinach ($0.72)
- 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes ($1.68)
- 1 yellow onion, sliced ($0.42)
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced ($0.32)
- 1/2 Tbsp dried basil ($0.15)
- 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano ($0.15)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.03)
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste ($0.05)
- 2 oz. shaved Parmesan ($1.25)
Instructions
- Add four cups of vegetable broth to a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half and add it to the pot along with the canned tomatoes (with juices), olive oil, frozen spinach, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper.
- Make sure the ingredients are submerged under the liquid, place a lid on top of the pot, and then turn the heat on to high. Allow the pot to come up to a full boil over high heat, then remove the lid and turn the heat down to medium.
- Allow the pot to continue to boil over medium heat, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir the pot every few minutes as it cooks to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom, but avoid over stirring which can cause the pasta to become sticky.
- Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan just before serving.
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Nutrition
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How to Make One Pot Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Start with four cups of vegetable broth. The flavor intensity and salt content of your broth will make a big difference in the end flavor of the pasta. If you use a low sodium broth, the pasta will taste bland. I use Better Than Bouillon soup base for all of my broths because it is really flavorful, much less expensive than boxed or canned broths, and I can mix up any amount needed. These little jars last forever in the refrigerator, too, so it’s there whenever you need it. And no, I am not being paid to endorse it. :)
Add the four cups of broth to a large pot along with 12 oz. fettuccine, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 8oz. frozen spinach, a 28oz. can diced tomatoes (with the juices), 1 sliced onion, 4 cloves garlic (minced or sliced), 1/2 Tbsp dried basil, 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, and some freshly cracked pepper. Although I show the fettuccine whole here, it’s best to break the pasta in half to help it fit in the pot and make it easier to stir later.
Briefly stir the pot and make sure all the pasta is submerged. Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a full boil, remove the lid, turn the heat down to medium, and give it a stir. Make sure it’s still bubbling away when you turn the heat down. It needs to continue boiling for this to work.
Let it boil for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated. Only stir once every few minutes to keep the pasta from sticking. Over stirring it can make the pasta overly mushy and sticky.
And then it’s done and it tastes amazing! Cool, huh? Sprinkle a little shaved Parmesan over top just before serving. This Tomato Spinach One Pot Pasta deserves a cape for being so amazing. That bowl was gone in 60 seconds. 👅
I’m planning on making this but with whole wheat spaghetti. Will the specified amounts of liquid from the broth, canned tomatoes, and frozen spinach be enough?
It’s hard to say without trying it first and unfortunately I haven’t experimented with the ww pasta. :(
Love the idea of the Italian Wonderpot. Was thinking of using my electric pressure cooker. I do believe it would only take about 5 minutes cooking time. That’s the time I use for pasta. Also think I just might add some cooked chicken to the end product & let it sit for about 5 minutes. I seems this is one of those recipes with limitless imagination. Thanks I do love the site.
This was the first recipe of yours that I made since discovering your site. It was easy to make and my family of three loved it. I added artichokes as a bonus and since I only had thin spaghetti, I used it instead of linguine. My son didn’t know it called for linguine and suggested that the only change he would make was to use thicker noodles. Go figure. lol I had a bag of fresh spinach that was on its last legs that went into this recipe. I’m so glad it didn’t go to waste. The feta really rounded out this flavorful dish. Thank you so very much for all of the great recipes you offer on your blog. I had been in a serious cooking rut but you’ve brought me out of it, and you are saving me money too! Thank you Beth!!
Absolutely amazing!!! I made this for dinner tonight and everyone in my family scarfed it down in less than 5 minutes. I made it just as described on here and this will definitely become a staple in my dinner rotation. Can’t wait to take this to lunch tomorrow. Smells delicious while cooking too, and soooo easy!
When would you add frozen meatballs?
If they’re pre-cooked frozen, you can add them in the beginning. If they’re raw frozen, I’d cook them separately then pop them in at the end.
1 word…
OH-MY-GOSH-DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, 2 words…
CAN’T-GET-EASIER-THAN-THIS-SIMPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Made this for dinner, cannot believe how scrumptious it is, everybody loved it, said that it officially made the list for must make again :)
I used thick spaghetti sauce instead of tomatoes (Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro Roasted Garlic Sauce, super flavorful!), and did not add the spinach. Next time I’m going to add a few mushrooms into my bowl. Love it! :)
Great recipe! The only ingredient we don’t always have is spinach…I really ought to get frozen to keep, but usually just use a bag of fresh (I like the texture better). We’re adding frozen meatballs to it tonight….yum!
The first time we made it we were very pleasantly surprised with the taste, we were expecting it to be watery and flavorless (but cheap and easy)…I will doubt you no more!
Just a quick one regarding dried herbs and spices. Where McCormick spices tend to be ubiquitous but can be a bit pricey at times. If your area and supermarket has a sizable Hispanic population, seek out Bahia products — sometimes found in the Latino aisles. Same herbs but much cheaper. Likewise, seek out ethnic grocers. I have an Indian/Mid-Eastern shop where a 200g bag of cumin has tons more spice for less than the cost of a McCormick jar. Just sayin’.
So for the last week & a half, my family and I have been in the middle of a big move, I decided to start homeschooling and I got stuck unpacking everything due to my husband’s new job. We’re still swimming in boxes. It’s not fun! :) Since things have been so busy, we’ve had way too many meals out so I decided to find an easy, quick meal for us. This was the perfect one! I did have to substitute for a few things since my pantry is upside down. I couldn’t find ANY broth so I stole some ramen seasoning packets from a couple of my husband’s ramen packs. (shhh…) I didn’t have fettucini noodles so I used regular spaghetti noodles & I had fresh spinach instead of frozen. I also added some meatballs with it because my husband is a huge meat lover but I’m not. It all came together and tasted amazing. I’ll be doing this again really soon & will probably add more veggies along with it. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
My family LOVES this recipe. In fact, I have an 18 oz container of it thawing in the fridge for tonight! I boil several chicken breasts and use that broth for the pasta, then shred the chicken and add it to the pot near the end of cooking. It freezes so well that I usually make a double pot for future meals. I’m SO glad someone linked me this site last year. Beth, you have practically single-handedly saved our diet!
I don’t eat tomatoes. Do you think I could substitute a jar of roasted red bell peppers and it would still turn out well?
I think that would be delicious!
Made this tonight, it was amazing. The whole family loved it! I also cooked and added in some sliced chicken breast and olives. Yummy! Thanks so much, we’ll definitely make this again!
Absolutely wonderful recipe, simple and delicious :) every recipe from this site turns out great, I keep on coming back to your blog every time I don’t know what to cook :)
Cooked this tonight for myself, my husband and my 90-year-old mom, we all loved it. Thanks for sharing it.
Have been making this for months. Love the versatility.