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 made this yesterday and it is very good !. I added fresh mushrooms and black olives and used Parmesan cheese in place of feta. I will definitely make again ! Yummm
I put lust 1 tsp of red pepper and the dish is almost too spicy, I cannot imagine what would be with 4. Other then that, very flavorful and delicious,
The recipe only calls for 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes. If you’re looking at the pin on Pinterest, it auto-pulls that information and it’s often wrong. Always consult the recipe that is on the webpage, rather than the pin.
It doesn’t call for 4 it calls for 1/4 :)
My noodles stuck together, the cook time is misrepresented, takes more like 30-40 minutes to cook, still has a lot of broth & still seems very bland taste wise.
I used quinoa noodles because we do gluten-free. I’m cooking it right now. It’s been boiling for 10 minutes, the noodles seem really mushy (I only stirred it three times in 10 minutes!), and there’s still a ton of liquid. I’m afraid I may have ruined it by trying to use quinoa :(
Quinoa noodles end up cooking differently. Maybe cook the noodles separate while cooking other ingredients then combine them at the end. But then it’s not all in one amazing pot to cook. Play around with it quinoa noodles are finicky.
Recipes like this aren’t usually successful with gluten-free pasta. It’s the gluten from the pasta which, combined with the liquid and aromatics, makes the “sauce”.
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Made this tonight and even my pasta-hating baby ate two portions! Will definitely be adding this to the rotation. Added some crispy chorizo to the adult’s bowls for texture – delicious.
Also, we only had block spinach so just sat it on top of everything else and it didn’t affect the cooking time at all – just defrosted as everything else cooked.
Made this last night and it turned out pretty good. I had slightly less than 12oz of fettuccine in my pantry that I needed to get rid of, so my sauce was still extremely watery, even after 20 minutes at a steady boil. Another comment a few pages back mentioned adding some cream cheese to tighten up the sauce, and after stirring in 3 or 4 knobs of the stuff, it hit the perfect consistency. I also used fresh spinach instead of frozen (added during the last 5ish minutes of cooking), and found that I had to add the tiniest bit of salt to the dish when tasting (not too much, because the feta at the end added a little more salt). Overall, will definitely make this dish again.
Added extra garlic, exchanged the feta for parmesan, and added shrimp. The flavor was lacking for me. The onions needed sauteed with the garlic, it takes an extra couple of minutes but it would be worth trying again with that method. Overall, a great base that I would try again with a few minor modifications.
I made it and it’s great! Thanks for the inspiration :) I didn’t know what to with the feta and turned out I had all the ingredients :) Really tasty!
Anyone try gluten free pasta in this? If so, what brand and type?
I haven’t tried gluten-free pasta in this specific recipe, but the Barilla GF Spaghetti is, in my opinion, the best GF pasta out there!
Aldi’s gf brown rice spaghetti worked great!
This is one of my go-to recipes, I have lost count of how many times I’ve made it. So easy! It’s very filling, and this recipe makes a ton. I usually add a can of white beans as well.
I thought it needed white beans too! It would add a great texture and flavor.
I just made this for dinner. Quite easy and very good. Keep those vegetarian recipes coming. They’re all great!
Yes ma’am! This was perfect for my meatless Monday meal. I used tricolor rotini pasta to trick the kiddos into eating it, and cooked some chicken breasts strips on the side (just in case I faced opposition for the lack of meat)….Great pick!!!
I love this dish. Had to cut the red pepper in half for the family but it was wonderful. I used the Tuscan Swanson broth (that’s all I had). Thinking about adding some pre-cooked Italian sausage next time if we are in need of protein. Can’t wait to make this again.
I have made this many times now and love this pasta. In order to give it extra depth of flavour I add a significant amount of fish sauce, crushed/paste of olives and a good bit of olive brine. With these additions, the pasta feels more like there is meat in it at little extra cost.
I add fish sauce too!