One-pot pasta -- a quick and soothing meal for these challenging times
I missed the introduction, in 2013, of this brilliant recipe -- attributed to Martha Stewart (thank you, Martha!) -- but tried it just before the Covid 19 virus put us all into quarantine. And it is, indeed, a game-- and life changer. It will be as important to my future culinary life, I suspect, as seven-minute, pressure cooker risotto.
Like seven-minute risotto, one-pan spaghetti uses much less energy to prepare than classic two-pot recipes (one for the pasta and the other for the sauce). And the taste is in a different ball park. You have to try it to believe it. I couldn't wait to create variations, using sausage; olives; onions: and herbs.
As always, I balanced the Omega-3s in this recipe by using canola instead of olive oil. An optional addition of a few anchovies, along with the spinach or kale, would boost the Omega-3s even more. Double this if you are holed up with your family, but you will need a larger pot -- a dutch oven works well.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound dried spaghetti
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved (about 1 pint)
zest of one lemon
1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 bunch spinach or kale (leaves only), washed and chopped (if needed).
Black pepper
Parmesan, for serving
Directions:
Place spaghetti, tomatoes, zest, and salt in a large dry shallow pan. I used a large cast-iron skillet and broke some of the pasta so it all lay flat in the pan.
Carefully pour 1/2 quart boiling water over the ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and simmer for about 6 minutes, using tongs or some other tool to move the pasta around so it doesn't stick. Add the kale or spinach (and optional ingredients such as anchovies and/or red pepper flakes; basil or other herbs) and cook until the remaining liquid has been reduced to a sauce and the pasta is cooked through. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan.
Yum!
On another night, when my daughter and her family were staying with me, I experimented with
1 pound spaghetti
.5 pound sausage
13 oz frozen peas
medium onion
thyme, sage, fennel -- whatever combination of spices you have and enjoy
1 quart boiling water.
This time, I sauteed the onion and sausage in a frying pan, then added them and the peas at the 6 minute mark. Really good!
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