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!
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 don’t think you understand how much you are saving my life with these recipes! This is another hit. Only changes I made were, I used a fresh tomato instead of canned tomatoes and I only had stir-in-paste garlic which worked just fine. Even my 5 year old thought it was good & he’s soooo picky.
Aww, that makes me so happy! :)
My last comment should say 3 cups veggie stock and 1 cup veggie broth. Also, I didn’t add cheese because I served this with a zucchini gratin, and I didn’t want the meal to be cheese overload.
I made this last night. It was so good! I used whole wheat pasta, and think it might have held up better than regular pasta would have. It was a little on the soft side, but it was fine. I sauteed the onions first with a little green pepper and tomato paste. I HATE crunching into raw onions, especially in hot dishes. Seasoned with smoked paprika, pepper, a little salt and italian seasoning. Three cups veggie stock and one cup veggie stock was what I used instead of chicken stock. I was going to make it with basil since I had some, but it had gone bad! :(. Fortunately something TOLD me to grab a bag of spinach , thank goodness!
I replaced the onions and diced tomatoes with a mild, chunky salsa…..just as good as the original! I was out of diced tomatoes. I love this meal!
Sooooooo good! I have made this several times now the smell while it is cooking is amazing!! I like to cook this when family comes over show off my cooking skills. They dont know its a one pot wonder!! There are never any leftovers!
My girls and I just love this. I did change some things though but nothing really huge. Instead of the can or boxed broth I used two cubes of vegetable bouillon and dissolved them in warm water. I just use regular oil and I use 8 ounces of fresh spinach and add it towards the end. I also quarter the onion slices so they cook tender. We cook this probably at least twice to three times a month. It’s that good. Add a slice of toasted sourdough bread and you have dinner within 30 minutes.
Made this recipe yesterday and it was awesome! My gf and I loved it. This site is awesome! Thanks!
I made this last night and it was so good and easy. Two of my favorite things! I was a little hesitant at first (feta and Italian??), but this was so good. I never would’ve thought to mix feta cheese with this recipe, but it was delicious. Thank you for sharing such a great weeknight recipe!
could you wait until the last 10 minutes of cooking time to add the pasta? To keep it al dente.
Well, you only need to cook it as long as the pasta needs to become tender, so if its only ten minutes for you, you can stop it at ten minutes or whenever the pasta is the texture that you like. :)
Hey! I just made this again, and I didn’t have feta, but I did have asiago, so I stirred about 1 c. of shredded asiago into the finished hot pasta, and it was SOOO good. Thanks for posting the recipe! :O)
I am not sure why people thought this was bland… I thought it was very savory and loved that it only created one dirty pot in the end. Looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow! I would recommend adding more herbs and spices if it seems bland, especially the black and red pepper. That ought to liven it up! (my only substitution was chicken broth, as it was the only one I had on hand…)
Hi! I love this site and I share it with everybody! I was wondering, I was going to cook this in a slow cooker and I was wondering if I should add the pasta in later or at the beginning with everything else. Thank you!
Definitely don’t add it in the beginning because that long cooking process will probably make it disintegrate. :)
Hi! As a starving college student this site is life. I wanted to try to recipe but cooking it all in a crock pot cause I work really long days. If I did want to do it in a crock pot should I wait until I get home and add the pasta then or just throw it in at the start also?
I don’t find that pasta works very well in a slow cooker. If you do try it, though, I would add it at the end because if it’s added in the beginning it will surely disintegrate. The pasta will likely take longer to cook in the slow cooker than it would to make this whole recipe on the stove top, though, and you’ll have better texture using the stove.
I tried it with chicken broth and chicken breast and it came out amazingly! I used havarti cheese instead and it melted so nicely and mozzarella works well too! I used a bit too much red pepper flakes though. Oh well.
Once again, you didn’t fail me =) I did read some reviews first (as always). and did adjust the recipe (something else I pretty much always do). However, one should NEVER complain about a recipe if they alter it!! Okay, here goes…I diced up a couple of chicken breasts, and browned in pot first. Then I add all the other stuff…I used fresh spinach and basil, I only had beef stock (I also love the Better Than Bouillon) so that is what I used. I read a bland statement, and new that would never work for me…so, I used fire roasted tomatoes (the salsa ready kind). I also cubed up 3 small zucchini and tossed in. I went with parmesan cheese. Other than those alterations, I followed the recipe ;-) It was YUMMY!
Knew not new…I should have read back over before I posted. Ooops!
AWESOME dish that’s easy to make, easy on the wallet, and perfect for a college student!