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. 👅
SO happy you had success with this recipe! Isn’t it fabulous?!
Yes! So glad someone sent me the link to yours – I knew it would be a hit with my readers as well :D
I made this last night…. it went together so easy and was super good! Plus, I have plenty leftover for lunch.
I love cooking it all in one pot. After working all day, I love these sorts of recipes that are easy, mindless and don’t make a big mess!
I made it just as listed. It was very good!
This looks delicious! And really easy to make.
I get basil and other herbs at my local WinCo for like a dollar a bunch. I wonder if there are any bulk food type stores around where you live. They can have some crazy good deals!
Excellent! I used mushroom base from the same makers as the bouillon and also used cut up fresh mushrooms with the spinach and the 1 can of tomatoes! A real winner! Thank you so much for all the inspiration you have provided! I wonder if the brand of pasta makes a difference in the starch/thickening? I used TJ’s brand and noticed it didn’t release as much starch as some of the more mainstream brands.
This is the first recipe I have made from your site and I was thoroughly impressed! It tasted even better the next day!
I made a menu plan for my week that is all budget bytes based on the recommendation of a friend and now I can’t wait to taste them all! Thank you so much for this amazing site!
I made this last week based on a another blogger’s recipe with some chicken meatballs. It is wonderful!! With some of my leftovers, I added a handful of toasted pine nuts and it was blissful.
I am always looking for dinners that will please the vegetarians and the meat-eaters in my family, and this was perfect! My husband even said “I’d be a vegetarian myself if every meal was this good.”
I used fresh spinach because that’s what I had on hand – I just tossed in a bunch right at the end and stirred it up ’til it was wilted. Delicious!
Thanks for this – we’ll definitely be having it again at our house.
Any reason I could not just mince the garlic instead of slice it? (for easiness purposes)
I have never sliced garlic. What does that do vs minced? Just a texture issue?
It was just for aesthetics, you can mince if you’d like! :)
Weird question: I have a bunch of quinoa I need to get rid of. Do you think I could replace pasta with quinoa? I’m thinking I would use 1.5 cups dry which is 6 servings of quinoa but I’m not sure how I would incorporate it into the recipe.
Hmm, honestly I don’t think it would work with quinoa because it doesn’t have the starchiness that pasta does and that’s pivotal for the sauce. BUT, if you’re brave and try it anyway, please let us know how it turns out!
I completely agree about the “better than bouillon” I just tried it for the first time and I love it. I also love the fact that the listed ingredients is not full of chemical names. :D
I was about to order in the other evening when I thought, “let me see what Beth has going.” This turned out to be lovely. Thanks so much. I love one-pot dishes.
I used homemade chicken broth and added leftover chicken. I also used lots of stuff out of my garden, some fresh & some dehydrated, – onion, garlic, spinach, tomatoes, and crushed red peppers.
It was fantastic! I think next time we will try it with the Italian sausage – that sounds good!
i love the name of this recipe! with a name like wonderpot, it has to be wonderful, right?! :)
Oh man. I just saw your pin, looked at the ingredients to make sure I had everything, and started cooking. Within 18 minutes of seeing the pin I was blowing on a ridiculously delicious bowl of pasta. My only changes were using one 14 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes with a 14 oz can of normal diced tomatoes and fresh spinach instead of frozen since that’s what I had on hand.
I’m sure I’ll be making this again, thanks for the recipe!
Looked so spectacular that I tried it last night–and I’m growing lots of fresh basil which I added with the spinach. I like onions pretty well cooked, so sauteed the onions, garlic, and a handful of sliced mushrooms briefly in the olive oil, then proceeded as instructed. It was delicious–and beyond easy.