One Pot Pasta

I’ve seen so-called “one pot” meals that shouldn’t really be included in that category.

Sort of like how Orange is the New Black was in the running for “Outstanding Comedy Series” at the Emmys. Say what now? Great show with some good laughs, but most definitely not a comedy. It’s dark and twisty. Like Meredith Grey. Or Breaking Bad. But I digress.

The thing is—many times, these “one pot” meals still require a bunch of other dishes. But not this one. It truly is a one pot wonder. Its simplicity and deliciousness has landed it a spot in our regular meal rotation.

You chop up the veggies, you measure out the water and spices, and you literally throw it all in the pot at the same time. Heat it all up to a boil, stir it a few times, and boom. It’s done.

It’s surprising how much flavor this has, given you don’t use broth or anything, and it doesn’t cook for very long. Garlic and dried spices are amazing things. And onions.

The first time I made this, I followed the recipe exactly and it had a bit too much water to cook off. It took a long time to evaporate so that it wasn’t soupy, and as a result, the pasta was definitely overdone. The second time, I made adjustments. I kept the amount of water the same, but I added slightly more pasta and a couple of chopped broccoli crowns. I also used less garlic—the first time, it was so garlicky that it kinda burned going down!—but that was more a matter of my garlic cloves being huge than it was the number of cloves called for in the recipe. Just be careful about huge cloves of garlic. :) If they’re big, use only two instead of four. Your breath will thank me for it later!

Note: If you like your broccoli on the crunchy side, you might want to consider waiting a few minutes to throw it into the pot. I was experimenting and threw it in at the beginning with everything else (which preserved this recipe’s ridiculous simplicity). The broccoli wasn’t overly mushy, but it was definitely soft. Next time, I might wait until the pasta and stuff is 3-4 minutes into cooking, then throw the broccoli in only for the last few minutes. It’s only one extra mini step, and doesn’t dirty any extra dishes! :)

One Pot Pasta
(Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats)

Ingredients:
– 14.5 oz. whole grain pasta (one entire box of Barilla Whole Grain)
– 12 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
– 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
– 2 broccoli crowns, chopped (optional)
– 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
– 2 tsp. kosher salt
– 1/4 tsp. pepper
– 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
– 2 sprigs fresh basil (or 2 tsp. dried basil)
– 2 tbsp. olive oil
– 4 1/2 cups water
– Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:
1. Combine the pasta, tomatoes, onion, broccoli (see note above), garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, basil, olive oil and water in a large stockpot. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

2. Continue to boil, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente and the liquid has almost all evaporated. This time may vary slightly depending on the type and shape of pasta you use, so just keep an eye on it. But for us, this took about 8-10 minutes.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan.