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. 👅
Fantastic recipe! It is so easy to make with tons of flavor. My boyfriend even loved it and he likes his meals with meat.
A new fav!!!
I made this last week (with gluten free noodles) and it was a huge hit! My husband and three year old couldn’t get enough. We even had it for lunch the next day and it was delish. Thank you for all the great recipes.
Yeah I love “Better than Bouillon” too!
So I saw a pretty close recipe on another website and tried it. I thought it was really slimy, and tasted too much like one of those “pasta sides” packets of pasta. Would that be from the broth? In the original Martha Stewart recipe she just used water, do you think that would take some of the slimy-ness out of it?
The sliminess is due to cooking the pasta in a small amount of water until it’s thickened/reduced. Normally, you boil water first, add the pasta, and then immediately drain off that starchy cooking water. The starch in the cooking water is what gives it that thick/slimy texture. The only way to truly avoid that is to cook the pasta separately and then add it to the rest of the ingredients later. The “pasta side packet” flavor (haha, that made me smile) might be due to the broth. Maybe try a different brand – all broths are not made equal. I really like the Better Than Boullion brand soup bases.
Made this recipe today. Subbed the feta for crumbled blue cheese (personal preference). It was fantastic. The spinach was a great touch!
I made your recipe for my husband on Monday night and it was awesome! I substituted farfalle/bowtie pasta for the noodles and they held up really well during cooking. We were tempted to eat it when it was halfway cooked because it smelled so great and looked like a terrific soup. We waited patiently until all of the liquid was absorbed, but I’m going to make it in the winter and stop cooking it at the soup stage. Great recipe and so easy! :>)
I made the Wonderpot for dinner tonight. It certainly IS a WONDERPOT! My extremely picky, meat and potatoes 8 year old son LOVED it and asked me to make it for his birthday dinner…in JANUARY. My 2 year old daughter devoured it. It is a great way to get spinach into both of them, too! Thanks for posting this, Beth!
Wow, this was really good. I was really concerned for how much liquid there was until I added the fresh spinach (yes I went off recipe).
I was just as happy having leftovers for lunch today.
This looks amazing. Has anyone tried this with spaghetti instead? I have lots of that on hand sand really want to give this recipe a go.
Spaghetti should work just fine – it’s only a slightly different shape.
I love the new layout Beth! Also this recipe looks delicious, as usual.
This was SO good. I was able to make this in its entirety while my husband was walking the dog yesterday evening. We added kalamata olives and feta at the end as suggested. Yum! Cold leftovers for lunch today were good too!
Tried this recipe the other night and tossed some canned clams in there for good measure. Twas delicious.
saw this first in Culinary Content or Breaking Bread on FB. Then, saw it on Tasteologie. Had to see the recipe. will definitely be trying this one. thx for sharing.
Just made this for dinner. It’s just all sorts of fantastic! Thank you!