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 made this for my family tonight. Everyone loved it! I will be adding this recipe to my permanents list!
This is the FI’s and my new favorite go-to dinner. It’s saucy and hearty. YUM. I used habenaro hot sauce and added more garlic.
So, to be clear, you are not using vegetable broth, you are using a substitute with multiple sources of MSG. “Natural flavors”, hydrolyzed soy protein and autolyzed yeast extract always contain MSG. Because the manufacturer didn’t add an ingredient called “mono-sodium glutamate” they can “truthfully” claim “No MSG added” on their label. Caramel color is an untested food additive and then there is the copious amount of sodium. Even the organic version has MSG.
Find a 32 oz. a brand of organic vegetable broth without extracts or “flavor” added… it’s only about three bucks. I want a meal that’s inexpensive and healthy…not just cheap.
I always encourage people to make substitutions to fit their dietary preferences and to share those ideas here. If you prefer that type of broth and find it affordable, then by all means use it. Problem solved! Criticism of other peoples’ dietary choices, on the other hand, is not welcome (See FAQ #7).
If you don’t like a recipe… simply don’t make it. Don’t be disrespectful and leave a comment on her thread, it’s unnecessary.
Stores stock their shelves with a variety of the same ingredient for a reason. So you can choose which is best for you and your family.
Just because a recipe calls for one type of sauce, noodle, meat or broth, does not mean you are forced to stick with that choice.
Simply alter the recipe and move along. No need to be condescending to the recipe creator.
Made this and It was an instant hit! Absolutely loved it!
My husband and I are both students and we are always needing cheap recipes like this that add to our weekly meals.
Thank you and keep haring your recipes with us~
Love this! It’s easy and delicious. Great at left overs. The only thing I change is adding more cheese :p great dish
I made this and everyone in the family loved it. Thanks for the amazing recipe. I plan on trying some of the other recipes as well. Keep up the good work.
I’ve made this many times… Delicious… Wondering if anyone every used a slow cooker? I want to take it to a pot luck buffet …
This was amazing! Only minor changes- chicken broth and 10 oz of spinach (because that’s what we had). I am not sure of the last time I made such a flavorful dish in such a short amount of time. Thanks!
Fantastic meal. Easy is the word and the word is easy. Used Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles to great effect.
I’m 19 and a student so I’m always on the lookout for this kind of thing and this is such a winner!
I subbed in chicken stock for vegetable and could only find fresh spinach which worked fine but made stirring in a not-quite-big-enough pot very difficult to begin with!
Now I’ve got 4 extra portions ready to go for the rest of the week :)
I thought I was really good with cheep and counting costs for total ingredients indishes, but you just went all out, albeit with your own style that differs from mines because you seem to be cutting the meat and fish out.
Another very interesting little bit of information, there is an old Russian dish called “Uha” traditionally it needs to contain 13 different types of fish including a rare and poisonous one, but whatever its cheep as hell and you need to eat fish sometimes.
You really only need to figure out how to use a Fish stock into a creative recipe, all you need is a fish head from a Carp (Usually 1$).
Another interesting piece of information, now not everybody can stomach this but this is an all-time fisherman favorite in much of Russia, Salted and boiled pig skin with layers of fat and meat called “Sala” A few little bricks, a fresh pickle and a fresh Tomato with a few pieces of bread will fill you up for a good while but most importantly take up a very small amount of room in your tummy allowing you to keep on without getting tired.
Just a thought, Chicken livers and hearts are a REALLY good whole meat to add to your diet, chicken hearts need cooking low heat 1 hour, to soften them and only then add the rest of the ingredients.
I made this tonight. Great hit! I used chicken broth added fresh sliced mushrooms ,fresh basil & I had some leftover meat sauce as an after thought. Everything else was as recipe called for. It was wonderful & so easy. Leftovers for lunches, this a winner!!!! Served with garlic toast.
I forgot to add that I added sliced black olives too!! So yummy & super easy
We don’t like the texture of whole tomatoes, and tend towards sauce or juice in most recipes instead. Would you sub 2.5 cups of juice for the 28 ounce can of diced? I’d think about a 14 ounce can of sauce, and maybe a can of water, if going that route?
Hmmm, it’s hard to say because I’m not sure how much of the can of diced tomatoes is solid and how much is actually liquid. But I guess I’d estimate half and half? In that case I’d do two cups (or slightly less) of tomato juice or sauce as a replacement.
The “how much is tomato, and how much is liquid” question is one I cannot find addressed on the web. I was really hoping you’d know! sigh. back to playing around with them.
I ended up using 1 can of sauce, because that was all I had, and it was an 8 ounce can, not a 16. I rinsed the can and dumped in an additional 8 ounces of water. The result was it worked… there wasn’t too much water, at the end of the recipe. But it was a bit light on tomato. Next time, I think I’d like to do 2 cans of sauce. Or think ahead enough to get some juice out of the freezer, as that would also be very good.
I used diced tomatoes 28 oz can & it worked fine. This recipe really is very flexible
First off, let me say this turned out amazing! I modified it a touch due to using Beef Broth instead of Vegetable Broth being that is all I had. Also on a whim I added Shrimp just before things were done cooking. This was hands down one of the best meals I have made to date! I will absolutely be making this again, my husband and son have already asked when I plan to make this again!
I just had my version of this for lunch…I’m allergic to the spices so I used “Indian” spices…also delicious!!