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 posted too fast, sorry about double commenting. I did a back-of-envelope cost calculation and it turned out to be more expensive for me. Diced tomatoes turned out to be 3 bucks for the 2 14-oz cans I used (not bad), but I paid a lot more for spinach (x4) and onions (x6). To be fair I shouldn’t have bought chopped onions out of laziness. I’ll be smarter next time and add less of the expensive stuff once I figure out how to navigate Wegman’s. Pasta is cheaper though so I got more and rounding spices/oil down to a total of 0.50, I got a total of ~$12 for 6 servings.
Oh, I’m not complaining at all. I’d pay $12 for one serving of pasta at a cheaper Italian place here, and might not even like it. This was so good!
Also I put this other comment as I forgot to give you five stars.
I made this today and it was so good! As easy as Ramen to make (just put everything in!) and I have like 5 servings left, looks like it’s dinner for the entire week! I haven’t cooked in a long time (actually, ever), and this is a great start to my new kitchen. xoxo
Another great recipe. Thank you. It’s so flexible so I made a few changes; fresh spinach, fire roasted tomatoes, fresh basil, penne and Parmesan cheese. It was so tasty and easy to make. Next time I might try it with whole wheat pasta so there’s no less chance of mushiness.
This is a very good dish! TFS. http://www.protectsaveandearn.info
This dish was amazing and so quick/easy to make. I recommend adding some mushrooms and zucchini (towards the end). Love your site!
The first time I made this, it was amazing. For some reason now weeks later I am making it and its so watery, to the point i have to drain it :( Any tips?
Hmm, did you use a different type or shape of pasta? Is it possible that you mismeasured the broth?
I’m so glad I discovered your food blog. I have made quite a few of your recipes, (many more than once). Tho this didn’t catch my eye, with so many comments, I had to try it. Totally the bomb!! I call it the sneaky spinach spaghetti because my kids think they hate spinach. How do I disguise spinach? Sauteing it with the oil, onion, & garlic first, then the spices a few minutes, then the other ingredients. Said it was basil. It is almost undetectable. I also added a sm can of tomato paste & some chick peas. They thought it tasted like spaghetti O’s. (sigh).
This was really tasty! I’m obsessed with goat cheese so I doubled it. Or maybe tripled it. Haha. I can’t wait to try the other pasta dishes!
It might be missing something… next time I’ll think of a protein to add.
I think shrimp would be amazing in this, and it would cook in the pot right along with everything else.
That’s it, I have a bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer; I just figured out dinner.
We made this tonight with some hamburger and half of a Johnsonville rope sausage…it was excellent. The shrimp idea may be really good too.
This recipe is awesome! I sauteed the onion and garlic and then added everything except the frozen spinach (thank you for the tip, Beth). I topped this with vegan italian sausage (Tofurkey brand). My boyfriend and I loved this! Thank you so much for all of your recipes!
Do you think if you brought the contents up to a boil before adding the pasta it would help keep it from overcooking or getting mushy? Sounds good, will try this week.
Actually, yes, that might work well!
Thanks I made this tonight but changed a lot. I put cut fresh asparagus, onions, garlic, box of broth, juice of one lemon, lots of pepper, salt and pinch of cayenne and brought it to a simmer. Added 2/3 of the package of speghetti. Cooked for the package cook time of around 10-12 minutes, uncovered and lightly boiling. When it was finished I added a splash of half n half. It was exceptional. Love one pot meals.
I know it’s supposed to be as simple as possible, but I highly recommend adding a pinch of red pepper flakes and sauteeing the onion, in olive oil and garlic, in the bottom of the pan before adding everything else.
This sounds delicious, can’t wait to try it! By chance is there a slow cooker version?
Unfortunately this one wouldn’t work in a slow cooker because the pasta would become overcooked and mushy. It needs a very brief cooking time.
Excited to try this. ALSO, as a Louisianian living in Philly, seeing that Rouses logo on the cheese made my heart jump.
thanks for the recipe. I tried this tonight.
so simple, tasted great. can not wait to try some of your other recipes
What did I do wrong?? This came out like complete mush!! Like, not even edible mush. I know it must be something I did, as everyone else said it is great! Wah!
Hmmm. I would say try turning the heat up a smidge next time (to make sure it actually boils the whole time and doesn’t just simmer) and try to stir it a little less. Mushiness can be a result of cooking too long and stirring too much. I also wonder if the pasta brand makes a difference, but I have no evidence to support that theory.
I don’t think pasta brands are a problem as I did this with some leftover home made egg noodles and ir worked well