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 some for me and my roommates and it was great even though I accidently put in half a container of pepper. Lucky it was a rather small container.
I screwed it up slightly and it was STILL fantabulous!! Oh my word. I thought I’d grabbed a can of tomatoes, got crushed instead. Also didn’t feel like figuring out 12oz of pasta from the 16oz box. But it all worked out, anyway. Wow!
My husband was about halfway through his bowl before he looked at me and asked, “Wait, is there no meat in this?” He couldn’t believe it. Then he asked if this could go on the regular weekly rotation. Score!!
My family absolutely LOVES this dish. I use Gluten Free pasta, Fresh Organic Spinach and Kale and add a local Sausage. It’s quick and easy clean up and it’s SO flavorful! I really love your site, I tend to adapt everything to organic and gluten free, but it’s really easy to do and it’s still so inexpensive!! Thank you for the great food!
This smells absolutely wonderful while it is cooking and the taste is magnifico! This is a highly adaptable recipe. If you aren’t vegetarian, you can use chicken broth (as we did) and it would be great with an Italian sausage or chicken or shrimp added to the pot. We didn’t do that when we made it, and it was delicious. This is going on our definite must fix again list!! So easy to fix, too.
It’s true, Better than Bouillon is the cat’s pajamas.
it’s boiling as I type. if it’s as tasty as it smells, I’ll be adding this to my routine repertoire…. super quick, super easy, AND super healthy! I love that it’s vegetarian too (and vegan if you omit the feta!) I used gluten-free fusilli, but otherwise stuck to your recipe.
ok, now I’ve tried it! Ahh-mazing!
This look Delish! I love so many of your recipes but the chicken and like soup is a favorite around here!
I had a question. Do you think this will work with homemade pasta instead of a box? Homemade pasta only takes 2 minutes to cook so I wasn’t sure if that would work or not! I look forward to trying it out. I think this sounds delicious with a fresh spinach pasta!
You might try simmering the rest of the ingredients for a bit and then adding the fresh pasta at the end. :)
I’ve made this dish several times and shared it with a friend who is a vegetarian. She also loved it. This recipe is super easy and inexpensive. I love one pot meals.
This was delicious! I added some salt and fresh shrimp at the end and it turned out perfect!
I didn’t have broth so I used all types of frozen mixed veggies and frozen corn, plus dried spices for flavor. What I did differently…added golden tomatoes and curry spice packet from Shan Indian spices…which I did have in the pantry. Also added lite coconut milk to give it that Thai Indian kick. Lastly, I used nutritional yeast to give it a cheesy flavor, as I am vegan. Turned out beautifully, although I lessened the water because of all the veggies.
I call this my clean the fridge pasta, I had left over jalapeño,garlic, onions, capers, chicken broth, tomatoes, black olives, added the spices and pasta,turned out great!!!!, I love that you can fellow your ingredients or just add whatever you have.
Question.. how much is 1 serving?? (On the chili basics it was 1cup=1 serving)
Also my husband is addicted to this stuff.. i make it on sunday or monday and he eats it all week for lunches and maybe a dinner or 2..
Only thing i do different is add all ingredients first and add the fettuccine last on top so it doesnt stick to the bottom of my pan and just stir it on top most of the time making sure to press the noodles back in the liquid.. then the last few mins (3min maybe) i do a big full stir all the way to the bottom of the pot
I didn’t measure the volume of the cooked serving for this one, but since it was mostly pasta and there were 12 oz of pasta, usually a serving is about 2 oz (dry), so six servings for the entire recipe. Each recipe will have slightly different serving sizes based on the ingredients. And the servings are usually just the amount that *I* eat, so it might be different for other people. :)a
I’ve made this twice and can’t believe how good it is, especially for the effort! The first time I made it, I sent a plate home with a friend and he raved about how good it was. I made it again tonight and it was just as good. I do use Parmesan Romano cheese instead of feta because I always have it on hand and fresh spinach because it was in my fridge. Thank you so much for sharing!!
I made this for my in-laws tonight. Everyone loved it! My father-in-law was hesitant at first due to the lack of meat, but even he said it was very tasty! Fed 6 adults, leaving everyone satisfied!
This is fantastic. I forgot the spinach and doubled the red pepper flakes. Also served some sauteed chicken breast over the top.