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. 👅
Could I use fresh spinach? Would I add in at the same time as everything else or at the end? Anyone who could tell me if they tried it with fresh instead of frozen would be very helpful!
I would try adding it at the end. Spinach wilts very quickly in hot liquid, so if you just stir it in at the end it will wilt, but stay a nice bright green. If you add it in the beginning it may over cook and turn a dull, olive green color and the dark green may get absorbed by everything else and make the rest of the pot look greyish.
Hello. I love your blog/recipes. Can you or anyone else tell me where you find the vegetable base? I’ve seen the chicken and beef but never vegetable. Thanks!
It should be in the same spot at the grocery store as the chicken and beef base. Just look closely. :)
I am vegan so I omitted the cheese. I used frozen mixed vegetables because I’m out of fresh spinach. Everyone loved it. The convenience and ease was exactly was I was looking for. Thanks for sharing.
Loved this, for ease and taste! Boyfriend and I each had 2 meals from the batch I made and then, *brainstorm,* I used the 2+ cups that were still left over to make a frittata. 6 beaten eggs poured over the remaining wonder pot goodness into a 10 inch cast iron pan and, voila, brunch is served. Thanks for the recipe!
Since I am plant based I am going to use my own homemade broth and Butler Soy Curls in place of any other meat! No cheese! Can’t wait to try it!
This was SO good! I used fresh spinach and parmesan instead of feta, and it was divine. So much wonderful flavor
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I did slightly deviate from your ingredient list a bit by using 3 large fresh tomatoes instead of the canned tomatoes and adding an extra 3/4 cup of water. We didn’t have feta cheese on hand but used parmesan cheese instead and it added a nice touch. This slight deviation made for a delightfully fresh and clean flavour and I can’t wait to see how this dish will taste after it sits for a day.
Again, thank you for the lovely recipe and keep up the great work!
I made this for my family of 3 last night – and oh my goodness it was yummy! It wasn’t spicy so my daughter (who has geographic tongue) could enjoy it. I added a ton of veggies: broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, and mushrooms and the kids ate every bit of it. We had enough left over for dinner again, so I added a bit more broth to moisten it, added some cooked chicken breast and made a pasta bake – another big hit =)
This was delish! I left out the spinach (because I didn’t have any on hand), used whole wheat linguine noodles (again- it’s all I had), added some mozzarella on top and served it with steamed chicken that I had marinated in balsamic vinaigrette. AMAZING! Not only was it pretty but tasted perfect. Everyone who was over ooohh’d and ahhh’d. Little do they know how easy it was:)
Wow, I’ve been making a dish very similar to this for a long time and didn’t even know there was a recipe for it! Family will get a kick out of this! We love it. Very easy to make and tastes great!
Yum! I just made this for my dad and his fiancee. I added smoked salmon and some prawns to make it fancy cuz I was entertaining and it was delish! I used fresh spinach and fresh pasta so good! Thanks!
Just made this tonight. It was seriously AMAZING. Super easy to make as well. Thanks for the recipe!
I have to say, I was skeptical that this recipe was going to work out for me. It took me a little longer than 15 minutes for the sauce to reduce, but the end result was excellent: the most flavorable pasta I’ve managed to make thus far. I like heat, so I used Hunter’s spicy red pepper and diced tomatoes.
I made this last night and loved it! I used angel hair pasta (just because I already had some) and I had some fresh spinach I needed to use, so I chopped it up instead of using frozen. Other than that I followed the recipe. It was so good! I loved the feta cheese on top! I might have to try some of the changes other people suggested. Oh! The best part is how fast this dinner came together! Thanks for a keeper! (I’d give it 5 stars for myself, but my kids didn’t love it, so I’ll have to go with a 4 due to their votes.)
I made with gluten free brown rice pasta and it worked great. Also added meat from a rotisserie chicken when the liquid had almost been absorbed.
Stretched it to 8 servings, at least!