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. 👅
Does it even need my rating?! I loved it! My husband and MIL loved it too! I did not have stewed tomatoes (seriously :/) however, I had fresh cherry tomatoes that I sliced in half and threw in along with some extra liquid.
I also used feta instead of parmesan. I would have made this recipe as is, unfortunately, that was not what I had on hand!
I will make this recipe again.
We love your rating and review! Thanks Flora!
I made it and it’s sooo good. I used gluten fettuccine made out of rice and corn (I think this made it suck up water really well), added artichokes half way through, and frozen spinach during the last 3 min. Delicious. Going to remake it on the playa.
Oh I’ll have to look for that pasta! Sounds delicious!
I would love to use this but I can’t eat pasta, is there something I can sub the noodles?
Unfortunately this one really depends on the use of pasta and its starches to create the sauce.
Could you use couscous instead of pasta and add it at the very end?
I’m not sure, I’ve never tried using couscous in that way. :)
There’s a really excellent recipe on Smitten Kitchen that subs farro for the pasta. It’s extremely tasty and works well.
So good! My boyfriend loved it too, and I loved how easy it was to make and clean up! Super comforting and delicious. I used 16oz of linguine and it worked perfectly. I think next time I’ll cook in the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a second before adding the ingredients just to bring out more of their flavor.
Once again, another Budget Bytes hit in my house! This was amazing!! I used 16 oz of fettuccine, just based on some comments, and it soaked the broth/sauce up perfectly! I ended up cooking for closer to the 15 min mark, and also followed your tip about putting the frozen spinach in near the end. I couldn’t get over how great this was for so little work. Totally kicking myself for not getting some crusty bread to clean up the bowl with, though!
So delicious! And pleasingly easy. I think I’d add more garlic next time though.
We make this with gluten-free pasta. If you do too, you should know it needs to be stirred more often to avoid the clumped mega-noodle!
Reply to myself b/c I forgot to actually rate it!
My noodles clumped together which was my fault – I should’ve rinsed them with cold water first, put them in the pot last, and stirred them immediately.
Aside from that, this dish was not great. It wasn’t the flavor that bothered me as much as the texture – who likes mushy and soupy pasta? I followed the recipe closely and by the time the noodles were fully cooked there was still a lot of broth in the pot.
Giving it two stars cause it was super easy and only required ingredients on hand, but I won’t be making again.
Do you have nutrition information for this recipe?
Thanks!
Absolutely awesome recipe all the Firefighters at the Station loved it, only thing I did different was I added a can of mushrooms….. delish!!
For the record, this is great with mustard greens swapped in place of the spinach! It adds a little zip and a slightly different underlying flavor than the spinach does. I sliced it into thin ribbons added it about halfway through the cooking time since it’s a heartier green than spinach but I didn’t want it totally mush.
Is it possible to make and freeze this? Or any other similar recipes with kale or spinach. I make meals and freeze so kids can heat up after school, stove top or oven.
Thanks
Cooked pasta doesn’t usually freeze well, it tends to get mushy after thawing.
I had whole wheat spaghetti on hand and used that when making this time around. The noodles stayed more firm and I was able to cook it longer and reduce the sauce more. Delish both ways!
This recipe is the absolute best! Coming in from the Canadian winter this recipe is just what the doctor ordered. Serve it with fresh homemade garlic bread and it is heaven. We love it.
I made this recipe almost exactly as written. My only change was fresh spinach since i didn’t have any frozen. After 12 minutes, the fettucine were fully cooked but it was very soupy. I had to add a small can of tomato paste to thicken the « broth » into a sauce. I think next time, I’ll put 16 oz of fettuccine instead. Thanks for the recipe Beth.