



Easy One-Pot Pasta





Now this...This is somepasta.Before I climb too high up my soapbox about this, kudos goes to Donna at Apron Strings for introducing this revolutionary cooking method to me (and hopefully about a billion others). Originally, this recipe/cooking method comes from Martha Stewart.This pasta is... and it cooks up amazing pasta with homemade sauce in(can I get an "Amen"?)Many people recognize that slow cookers make life and dinner time so much easier. You throw the ingredients together in the morning... your home smells delicious all day... dinner is hot and ready when you are.Well, if you're like me, there are days when dinner time approaches, and youyou'd had the foresight to stick something in the slow cooker earlier in the day.But at 5:00 p.m. the slow cooker isn't going to do you a lick of good.Enter this one-pot pasta. A complete, healthy meal ready in 20 MINUTES, with the ingredients cooked all together just like they would be in the slow cooker.TA DA!!!Now, as you regular readers know, my (fabulous, handsome, stellar) husband is currently finishing up his medical residency. We are counting down the days (27) to no more 30-hour shifts, no more weekends without Daddy, and no more overly excessive job related stress. June 28th can't get here soon enough!Along with his regular clinic schedule, every third day for the last month, he's had to be at the hospital around 7:30 a.m., and then he's gotten home the next day around lunch time. Being utterly exhausted, he crashes till dinner is ready.Today is his LAST day ofnonsense schedule.So... you can imagine that with my husband gone every third night, I haven't made a lot of "real" dinners lately.PB & J... Bean Burritos... Cheese Quesadillas... you get the idea. I tend to have a hard time whipping up a nice dinner when it's just me and three kidlets who'd just as soon eat scrambled eggs as lasagna.I decided to give this one-pot pasta cooking method a go when my girls requested cheese quesadillas for the third time in one week. My pregnant self was NOT up for that again.So, into a pot went: water, spaghetti noodles, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, spinach, garlic, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I wished upon a star for fresh mushrooms to appear in my fridge, but you can guess how well that worked out.20 minutes later, magic occurred, and I was utterly smitten by this pasta:Angels sang. The room seemed to brighten. Tears came to my eyes... and I couldn't wipe the grin off my face.have had children's church music playing, and my second daughterhave chosen to shine a mini flashlight directly in my face across the dinner table, BUT... the smile was all about the pasta.)And because I didn't blend the tomatoes and spinach in the blender, OR finely dice the bell pepper, OR mince the onion to oblivion, the kiddos only picked at it... which meant I got to enjoy it for days afterward. It was mine... alllll mine...What?! You think I planned it that way?!... What kind of mother do you think I......Anyway, it was divine. The best meal I've enjoyed in a long time. And, okay, next time I'll be unselfish and make it more kid friendly by adding chicken, and pulverizing the vegetables into an unrecognizable state.One of the coolest things about this recipe is that you can easily alter it totaste.I used dry spaghetti. You could use rotini, linguine or any other pasta.I used salted water. You could use chicken broth or vegetable stock.I used canned tomatoes and dried herbs because I didn't have fresh ones. (I cannot adequately convey to you how excited I am to make this with vegetables and herbs fresh from the garden.) You can use whatever variety of veggies/herbs you like!I didn't use meat. You could use chicken, bacon, mini meatballs, etc., and garnish it with parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.The list goes on. You simply MUST give this pasta a try...I dare you not to love it!- from Donna at Apron Strings *Makes 6 adult-sized servings12 oz. dry spaghetti4 cups lightly salted water1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes1 medium sweet onion (julienned)2 cups spinach1 medium green bell pepper (diced)2 tsp. jarred minced garlic (or 4 cloves minced)2 tsp. dried oregano2 tsp. dried basil1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake (opt.)2 Tbsp. olive oilsalt and pepper to tastePlace all ingredients (except the extra salt and pepper) in a large stock pot.Cover, and bring to a boil. (If your pot isn't big enough, like mine, cover the pot when the pasta has softened sufficiently to fit inside.)Stir, and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your pasta, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente.Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow the pasta to sit for 5 minutes. There will be a small amount of liquid remaining in the pot. Toss the pasta to coat with the liquid. As it cools, the liquid will thicken into a sauce-like consistency due to the starch from the pasta.Serve hot. Garnish as desired with parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.