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. 👅
Instead of spinach, I put carrots, mushrooms, and red bell pepper. It came out pretty good.
Just made this…had everything I needed in the fridge/cabinet! What a better, “just throw something quick together for dinner” than frozen pizza!!! I feel so fancy now. :) So VERY delicious. Thanks!!!
YUM! I have this sitting on my desk next to me as I type, and it’s everything I can do not to bury my face in it! I followed the directions except for using one can of fire roasted tomatoes like someone had suggested, and some kalamata olives in addition to the feta on top. SO GOOD! I’m defiantly going to have to make this all the time now!
Haha definitely, you know what I meant!
I had to alter the ingredients since, I never buy vegetable broth – only chicken. It turned out great. Luckily, I had a little bit of feta cheese or else it wouldn’t have tied together so perfectly. It was super easy, super quick and SUPER filling. I did eat till I was full with my partner and there were still leftovers. It didn’t even feel like I used that many ingredients. In fact, I think I only used half of every ingredient besides the broth. I will definitely make this again. :)
Made this last night, and it is probably the yummiest thing I’ve ever made! And so easy and fast! I only cooked for two so we have lots of leftovers for lunches this week. The only thing I did differently was to use just a pinch more oregano and basil, and I doubled the red pepper flakes because I love red pepper.
Yummy, made exactly as written but topped with thinly sliced grilled Chicken breast marinated in balsamic and o.o with garlic. The whole family loved it, will be making this again. Just found your site and have tried 3 recipes so far. They have all been fantastic and I look forward to seeing more.
I just made this and it’s super-tasty! I’m doing Weight Watchers and this is a great meal for that, because one serving — not including any parmesan — is only 8 points :-)
I threw in a can of white beans and used parm instead of feta. This dish is AMAZING. It makes enough to feed even the hungriest 6 people on a shoe-string graduate student budget. Make this immediately! I froze a bunch of leftover, too.
I have now made this recipe twice for my husband and I and LOVE it! Of course I have made some changes in regards to what veggies I have added, infused oils, but the main recipe is there and it is delicious!
Made this tonight with a couple of tweaks – Used water and 4 tsp Better Than Bouillon chicken paste (instead of vegetable broth), and I added 1 lb of browned ground turkey at the last 5 minutes. I also subbed freshly shredded Parmesan for the feta Simple & tasty. Everybody LOVED it. Will definitely make this again. Yumm yumm! Thanks again Beth! :)
Seriously, this is some sublime stuff. It tasted like it was from Olive Garden, but in a really good way – full of flavor and prepared in such a way to give even the standard American palate a total jolt.
Also, we found this to be incredibly easy. I couldn’t help but take two bowls full as it was so yummy. Definitely a new go-to, especially when money is tight! Crazy good.
another amazing meal from Budget Bytes! I sauteed the onions and garlic before adding everything else, and added a can of mushrooms. I put the pasta on top of the pot instead of near the bottom and just pressed down to submerge. it cooked perfectly! the first helping was a little sauce-y, which was perfect for dipping our crusty bread. By the time we were on to 2nd helpings, most of the liquid had been absorbed by the pasta.
we served this with some Italian turkey sausage links. it made a HUGE pot, and we’re looking for ward to lunch leftovers tomorrow! YUM!
I have made this twice now. It is so delicious, easy, and quick. I love that all the ingredients are things I can keep in the pantry. And throw it together on a busy weeknight. I think the feta is the crowning glory, but since my husband doesn’t care for feta he puts parm on it.
Thanks for sharing another great recipe, Beth. I made this last night and am enjoying leftovers for lunch! it was better than I’d thought it would be, and I had thought it would be really good. I’m not a huge onion fan, so I swapped them for a package of mushrooms. Thanks for this easy, healthy, delicious recipe.
I know the McCormick spices are cheap, but you’d cut costs even more, and waste, by switching to using bulk spices from the bin! That way: if you need something special, you don’t have to buy a large quantity of it, can try new spices at a lower cost, and often bulk spices are fresher than the bottled variety.
Happy cooking!