For this recipe, I was inspired by our previous 1-pot recipe to try to come up with another recipe that requires little clean up. Especially with me being under the weather this week—if you couldn’t tell from the sound of my voice—I was really not wanting to spend too much time in the kitchen cooking and cleaning and rather spend it in bed resting, or eating something warm to help me recover quickly. So, this was the perfect recipe for this!
Technically, this isn’t truly a 1 pot recipe since you do need something to hold the cooked meat while cooking the rest of the ingredients, but also technically, you could reuse the plate/bowl you use to hold the meat to later eat your pasta dish in. So really, this dish requires very little clean up afterwards, with the pot and cutting board being the main things to wash, along with any minor cooking utensils for whatever ingredients you used, such as the spoon used to stir the pasta and the cheese grater for the parmesan, if used.
Speaking of ingredients, you of course are welcome to mix and match the ingredients you use in your pasta dish, such as adding in mushrooms, zucchini, and/or spinach or swapping out the ground beef for turkey, or leaving it out entirely. Also, as mentioned, you can swap the rotini with whatever pasta you like and it should still turn out pretty great! This recipe is highly customizable, even in terms of the amounts of each ingredient you use, so you can really use whatever ingredients you have in your pantry, making it a great way to clear out your kitchen rather than your wallet.
In addition to the ease of making this dish, another thing I like about this recipe is that it makes a ton of food at once, allowing you to meal prep for the entire week, saving you a ton of money and time as well. Plus, I find that pasta is one of the easier things to reheat in the microwave, so it takes no time at all to warm back up your leftovers.
But regardless of if you make this one pot recipe for a quick and easy family meal or if you portion it out for the week, this recipe will be a great way to save you some time and money, whether it’s shopping, cooking, or cleaning, while still allowing you to create a delicious meal out of ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 16-32 oz ground meat (optional) if desired
- 1 onion
- 2-4 cloves garlic
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes
- Some salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 12-16 oz your favorite pasta (such as rotini, rigatoni, or spaghetti)
- 3-4 cups water (or broth) (just enough to cover the pasta)
- 1 cup parmesan cheese (optional)
- Some basil leaves
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
First, we’ll prepare the ingredients, so dice up your onions and mince up your garlic. And, you may slice your cherry tomatoes in half at this time as well.
Step 2: Cook Meat Until Browned & Then Set Aside
Then, in a large pot, heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium-high heat and then add in the ground meat, if using, and cook this for a few minutes, or until the meat is browned, adding some salt to taste. Then, remove the meat from the pan, straining out some of the grease, if desired.
Step 3: Sauté Onions, Garlic, & Tomatoes; Add Seasonings
Then, reduce the temperature to medium, add in the other tablespoon of olive oil, if needed, and add in the onions and some salt, and sauté them until they are soft and translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Then, toss in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so, until aromatic. Next, add the cherry tomatoes to the pot and cook them for a minute or so, until they begin to soften up.
Then, add in a little more salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes and continue to mix this until the seasoning is evenly distributed, scraping the bottom of the pot, since the softened tomatoes will deglaze the brown bits of meat.
Step 4: Add Noodles & Water/Broth; Set to Boil & Cook Noodles Until Liquid is Evaporated/Absorbed
Then, when you’re ready, add in the noodles along with the water (or broth) and bring this to a boil over high heat, stirring every so often to make sure things don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Then, once it’s boiling, cook the dish for about 7-8 minutes (or however long your box says to cook your pasta until the pasta is al dente), or to your liking.
Continue stirring this to keep things from sticking and to evenly cook all of the noodles, especially as the water evaporates. Also, another way of telling if your pasta is done is once the water is fully evaporated or absorbed.
Step 5: Mix Meat Back into Pot, Add in Parmesan Cheese & Basil, & Enjoy!
Then, when that’s done cooking, mix the meat back into the pot to warm it back up. Then, turn off the heat and mix in some grated Parmesan cheese and some freshly chopped basil, saving some for garnishing later. And with that, your 1 Pot Pasta is ready to eat.