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Amazing One Pot Pasta (Tomato Basil)

If you’re a Pinterest addict like myself, you’ve surely seen this think-outside-the-box weeknight pasta idea.  If you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a game changing surprise.

The reason this pasta is labeled One Pot is because all the ingredients get tossed into one big ‘ol pot.  And, voila!  Dinner is served.

One Pot Pasta

There are two reasons I knew I had to try this amazing One Pot Pasta.  The first has everything to do with my abundance of late season tomatoes and basil growing profusely in my fall garden.

We already made and scarfed down this fantastic Bruschetta Tomato Basil Pasta.  With this One Pot Pasta, my sweet cherry tomatoes and fresh basil were given the chance to shine once again.

The second reason I had to make this pasta:  I gotta feed these guys on Wednesday night, and I better do it quick.

One Pot Pasta 2

My parents frequently made a Chinese version of this one-pot pasta dish all the time, when weeknights were rushed and dinner needed to be done in 30 minutes or less.

So, the idea of throwing a bunch of pasta goodness into a pot and cooking it all at once is not new to me.  I just never thought of doing it with anything other than Asian ingredients.

An aha moment for me.   I’ll definitely be toying with the diverse possibilities from now on.

One Pot Pasta 4

We’re already seeing new one-pot ideas pop up everywhere.  Gotta love it.

Who doesn’t love weeknight dinners that are easy, quick, and versatile?  And feeds a crowd, to boot?

This is definitely some good grub.

One Pot Pasta 3

I modified the recipe with chicken broth, spinach and a few other things.  I also added chicken to make it hearty enough for the men around here.  It was super tasty and satisfying.  Wholesome, nutritious, and delicious.  And easy.  So easy.

If you add more liquid, the pasta is has more of a slippery consistency, due to starch in the broth.  If you add less liquid, it is a drier pasta dish.  We preferred it with a bit of extra broth, but that is something you can play with.

Play away!

Enjoy!

Did you make this?

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One Pot Pasta

Amazing One Pot Pasta (Tomato Basil)

5 from 2 ratings
This One Pot Pasta is great grub food, easy and yummy. It feeds a crowd, and is extremely flexible; add your choice of meat, make it meatless, or add other veggies!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

  • 16 ounces dry linguini, or whole box of your favorite pasta
  • 2 cups fresh sweet cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
  • 1 large sweet Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 sprigs fresh basil, roughly chopped (more for garnish, if desired)
  • 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 cups regular chicken broth, up to 1/2 cup more, if desired
  • 2 cups rotisserie chicken, cooked, shredded (store bought for ease)
  • 1 bunch fresh spinach leaves, washed
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

  • In a large, heavy pot combine all ingredients except basil, spinach, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent pasta from sticking.
  • Continue to boil pasta, stirring often, until pasta is almost al dente (according to package instructions), and liquid has nearly evaporated. About 9 minutes for linguini.
  • Add basil, spinach, and shredded chicken. Boil and stir another minute, just until veggies are wilted.
  • If needed, season to taste with more salt and pepper.
  • Divide among bowls, garnish with parmesan or basil, and serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 908mg | Potassium: 636mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4408IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Main
Cuisine: American Italian, Italian
Method: Stovetop

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18 comments

    • Karine

    How much water do I add before the chicken broth? This doesn’t make sense, I can’t boil the pasta without broth or water

      • Amy Dong

      Karine, it all goes into one pot – the pasta cooks in the broth. This is a super-simplified way to make pasta without having to boil it first. Enjoy!

    • Patty Esparza
    • 5 stars

    This was a quick and easy Halloween dinner! As an added treat I crisped up the skin from the chicken in the oven and crumbled it on top. Also a squeeze of lemon gave it a nice touch of acid.

    • Erin
    • 5 stars

    I cook on Sundays to have all of the food ready to be eaten later in the week by my husband and me. One-pot pastas are my jam. So little work for a lot of flavor!

    Because the pasta for these recipes is typically sitting in the fridge for a night or two, what I end up doing is using the lower end of the liquid required and undercooking the pasta a bit (not quite al-dente) and letting it cool before we package it up. I’ve had amazing results doing that. We’re not heavy into brothy pastas, so the 5 cups as written here turned out marvelously for our needs. The pasta isn’t mushy, and it should be good to go later this week.

    With two of our heirloom tomatoes and homemade broth, this smelled heavenly. The little bite I tried before I packaged it up tasted wonderful, too, so I can’t wait to have this later this week!

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