Quick One Pot Pasta

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This Quick One Pot Pasta recipe is simple, quick to make, and delicious to eat! One Pot Pasta obviously means you only have to use one pan, so you won’t be left with an array of dirty dishes at the end of the night. I cook and Kieran usually does the dishes around here, so he’s extra excited when I make this recipe!

I’ve always enjoyed the thought of making One Pot Pasta, but I never attempted to try. My favorites chefs say the BEST way to make pasta is by boiling pasta in a large pot of salted water. My entire adult life I prepared pasta using the traditional method. I heated a large pot of salted water on the stove, waiting FOREVER for the water to FINALLY grace me with it’s “boiling” presence, so I may add the pasta, cook it, then dump it, along with the water, into a colander.

The “boiling water” process results in kick-ass tasting pasta, but waiting for a large pot of water to boil is time-consuming! Especially if you’re rushing to get dinner on the table.

Whelp, I recently learned a new method of cooking pasta (at least new to me, the method’s probably been around for awhile) that has changed my outlook on cooking pasta forever. Now, whether I’m cooking this one-pot pasta dish or pasta in general, I now use these steps:

1. Place the pasta in a shallow pan/frying pan.
2. Add roughly a quart of water to cover the pasta.
3. Sprinkle a big pinch of salt over the water.
4. Turn the heat on your stove to medium-high.
5. Once the water comes to a boil, after a few minutes, set your timer for about 7-8 minutes.
6. The pasta will not stick together in the beginning because it started out in a cold pan of water. Once the water boils, grab some tongs and gently move the pasta back and forth in the pan, otherwise it could stick to the bottom.
7. Frequently stir the pasta and keep it moving around the pan.
8. After 7-8 minutes, taste. If the pasta is al dente enough to your liking you can stop there, if not, continue cooking to your preference. After 7 minutes, I’ll taste the pasta every 30 seconds or so, to ensure I’m not overcooking it.
9. At this point, you can drain the pasta in a colander, with the little liquid that will be remaining. Or you can save that thick, starchy water, and use it to make a flavorful sauce.
10. The entire process takes less than 20 minutes.

If you cook your pasta this way, you will use less water, less energy from your stove, and less time altogether. Large pots of water take what, 20 minutes to reach a rolling boil…unless your stove is exceptional. Let’s pretend you’re going to cook 2 batches of pasta using the traditional method and the new method. By the time your new method pasta is finished cooking, you will still be waiting for the water to come to a boil, the traditional way. Shit, you would be finished eating the new method of pasta before the water of the traditional method comes to a boil!

Notime
^ hahahahaha, I love this woman, she cracks me up.

Here’s a video (not made by me) showing the new pasta cooking method.

From what I read in the comment section of this video, if you’re Italian, you might want to stab me. I understand, you may like the traditional way of cooking pasta better, which I respect. Note, if you are going to stab me I would appreciate it, if you avoid my face, it’s my money maker. 😀

Seriously, if you read the comments of the video on Youtube, you’ll see some people are PISSED about this pasta cooking technique. I’m fairly ignorant to why boiling pasta in a big pot of water is preferable to some. Is there some pasta cooking science I need to be educated on? I’m not being facetious here, I seriously want to know! School me!!

I may not be a pasta cooking expert, but I know this for a fact, this new method makes perfect al dente pasta for me, each and every time I attempt it.

Some complaints say the pasta is too mushy and overcooked by using this method. But I mean, if you cook pasta too long, with ANY method, you’ll overcook it. However, I have the first-hand experience knowing this new method doesn’t automatically equate to over cooked pasta. Once the water in the pan comes to a boil, I set my stove timer for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, I will taste a strand of pasta, every 30 seconds or so, to ensure the pasta is al dente. I mean, if you leave the pasta in the pan and walk away for 10 minutes, without stirring you WILL royally fuck it up. So stay at the stove, continuously move the pasta around, and after 7-9 minutes, dinner is ready to be served. BOO-YEAH!

But who am I to judge your pasta cooking ways? Cook your pasta, however, you like, dammit! I won’t tell you what to do, except for this pasta recipe, this one you have to cook my way.

I attempted making this dinner for the first time, a few weeks ago. I used twice as much tomato, didn’t include jalapeño, nor the apple cider vinegar, and used green pepper instead of yellow. The recipe was so-so. Something seemed off, and at the time, I couldn’t put my finger on it. I went back and started analyzing the ingredients to find how the dish could be improved. I realized both the tomato and green pepper lend a sour, bitter taste to recipes. I needed to augment the sour with sweet and spicy for a more balanced dish.

I cut down on the amount of fire roasted tomatoes by substituting a 28oz can for a 14.5 oz can. I still needed to augment the bitter/sourness of tomatoes with sweetness. Yellow pepper is sweeter than green, so swapping the two peppers was my first step. Additionally, apple cider vinegar is sweet too, so I added that as well. Lastly, my dish needed some spice. I could have added red pepper flakes, but I opted to throw in one jalapeño. After one taste of my new One Pot Pasta, I knew I had a winner on my hands. The difference between the first and second attempt was night and day. I finally struck the flavor balance I was looking for.

If you love pasta and you love easy, this is a great weeknight dinner for you and your family. You can easily double the amount if your family is large. Sky’s the limit on adaptability, you can add whatever your heart desires. Just remember the recipe cooks FAST, so thinly slice any additional vegetables you want to add!

So feast your eyes on my food photography and feast your face on this One Pot Pasta, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

~Christina

Calorie Breakdown

12 oz of spaghetti…..1,200
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced….. 50
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced….6
1 onion, thinly sliced….46
1 can (14.5 oz) fire roasted tomatoes….105
3-5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced….. 20
2 sprigs of fresh basil leaves…..? Research online says there is 1 calorie in 2 tablespoons. So, maybe 3
4 1/2 cups of water (you can sub out water for chicken/vegetable broth for more flavor)….. 0 if you use only water
A cap full of apple cider vinegar (optional)……1
Salt and pepper to taste…. 0

Total calories if you eat the entire pot of pasta….1,431
If you eat half…..715.50
If you split the pasta between 4 people…. 357.75

*Note, I am not a nutritionist, nor am I pretending to be. I found the calorie counts by reading the nutrition labels, searching Google, and using my Lose It! app on my phone.