We are, frankly, obsessed with the one pot pasta recipe in our house. We make it a million different ways with a million different variations, so once you’re comfortable with the concept, feel free to go crazy with lots of different ingredients!
When I first stumbled on the one pot pasta concept, I played around with the water/broth quantity and didn’t trust the recipe(s) I was using. I implore you, don’t make the same mistake! It may seem like there isn’t enough water to cook the pasta, but if you add more than this recipe calls for, you’ll be draining off liquid unnecessarily and the whole point of the one pot pasta is that you literally do nothing but throw the ingredients in a pot on the stove and just keep one eye on them for a few minutes until everything is cooked through and the pasta is al dente.
Ingredients
1 lb pasta of your choice (we generally use spaghetti or linguine around here)
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 bunch basil, chopped or torn into pieces
1 pint fresh mozzarella balls
4 c water or broth
parmesan cheese, optional
Directions
Put everything together except the basil in one big pasta pot on medium heat and stir to combine. Cook for 15 minutes or so until pasta is cooked and tomatoes are soft. Once everything is cooked, add the basil and stir to combine. Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
It really is that simple! Try this with roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts or throw some chicken or Italian sausage in the mix for added protein. Swap out the veg for just about anything you and your family enjoys. Go crazy!
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A Child Grows in Philly‘s editor Mollie Michel is a South Philly resident and a Philadelphia public school parent. A recovering non-profit professional, Mollie is also an experienced birth doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, and the mom of two awesome girls and a sweet pit bull named Princess Cleopatra. In her spare time, she is usually trying to figure out how Pinterest works, training for a(nother) half-marathon with her dog at her side, or simply trying to keep up with her increasingly wily daughters.