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 tonight and it was fabulous! Made a few adjustments to what I had on hand. Chicken broth instead of veggie broth, used a 10oz package of spinach instead of 8 oz. I also added in a can of drained mushrooms. At the end the “sauce” was a little loose so I threw in 4 oz of cream cheese I had in the fridge. It tightened it up and made it creamy. My husband went crazy! :)
Normally I love everything on this website but I found this pasta to be rely bland and tasteless… will try adding meat next time
This looks delicious and I really want to try it, but have a question first. My husband simply will not touch feta or blue cheese -and I was wondering what might be a good substitute. Maybe fresh grated parmesan? He loves monterey jack, maybe a sprinkle of that? Any suggestions?
I think Parmesan would be best. :) The only reason I didn’t use Parmesan to begin with is because I wanted this recipe to be vegetarian (Parmesan uses enzymes from the stomachs of cattle).
Thank You Beth! We aren’t vegans or even vegetarians, but trying to eat healthier and this looked so good I went ahead and made it last night. I used parmesan and he used an italian blend. Both were delicious! I didn’t have any veggie broth so I used low sodium chicken broth, and I also subbed whole wheat linguine for the fettucine. I went ahead and used the whole box which I think was 13.5 oz.
I believe your measurements are spot on because I ended up pouring in some v8 toward the end to keep the right consistency. We sprinkled on some green onions and devoured it.
I made chicken with it last night and a salad. We ate way too much!! Next time I think it will be the main dish with some added italian sausage added in. Small salad and a roll – Yumm
Really appreciate the recipe! Hubby says put it in the regular rotation. He cooks for a big bunch of guys at the firehouse and he knows food pretty well. We were thinking it would be good to cook for the guys at the station, but he would have to triple the batch and I don’t think it would work with that big of a pot…lol.
Anyway thanks again. It’s a keeper!
Quick and delicious! We added shrimp and it was loved by everyone!! Next time… Trying chicken!
Wonderful receive. Easy and within my budget!!! Thank you for making Tuesday dinner delicious!
I just made this dish. Once finished boiling, I still had a lot of liquid in the pout, so I ended up just taking the pasta, spinach and tomatoes (along with a little liquid) out and serving it in a bowl. Not sure what I did wrong. Maybe not enough pasta? It tastes good, so I’ll try it again with more pasta.
I don’t often write reviews, but this recipe is amazing! I used fresh tomatoes, spinach, onions, mushrooms, basil, and whole wheat spaghetti. I forgot the garlic, but we didn’t even miss it. I also added turkey meatballs. I love that this all cooks in one pot, and you can toss in whatever you have! I’m not a feta fan, but it really added to this meal. Thank you!
I think I would add kale for the greens. My family would love this.
Delicious! I added chicken, which I sauted with onion and garlic w evoo before adding the rest of the ingredients..Full of flavor ..very easy :)
I have made this several times and have had great results each time. The last time I made it I had some left over Italian meat balls and added them to the bowl for a bit of a change and found the next level for this great dish. My daughter has added spotted prawns and loves it.
I made this last night and it was awesome! I’m not the greatest cook and it was delicious (and reheated well). Definitely going to add to the rotation and customize with whatever is in the fridge.
Delicious and easy! I made this with spaghetti and just cooked it for 7 minutes instead. I used one can of Italian diced tomatoes and one of hot diced tomatoes.
So delicious! My one year old loved it too!
This is really good. I can see adding your own twist with other veg or pastas. I used whole weat spaghetti because I didn’t have any fettuccine, chicken broth because I didn’t have vegetable, and it was quite amazing. No feta because I am lactose intolerant, and it was still quite good!! I think I will definitely be making this again.
This turned out really good! Only cost around $9 AUD in total (including $2 for tried basil packet that I can use in future). I got 4 portions out of it, had it for dinner two nights in a row, still good! You yanks are getting stung for diced tomatoes! At coles they’re 90 cents (less than $0.80 USD), might be worth buying in bulk?
hi there, thanks for this recipe. I love that it can cook everything all at once. What would you recommend if I want to put something unvegetarian in it like chicken, beef or seafood? Can I just chuck it in
Thanks
I think I’d sauté the meat in the bottom of the pot first before adding the other ingredients, as opposed to letting it boil in the broth to cook. I think you’d get a better texture that way.