Courtesy of apronstringsblog.com
I don’t know why, but I’m always skeptical when I see a recipe that calls for only one pot. It somehow seems to me that if I don’t have to go to trouble, it probably isn’t going to be any good. Most of the time, I am right—the dishes usually turn out just so-so. I am pleased to tell you that I have found an exception.
The Apron Strings blog has published a recipe for one-pot pasta, One Pot Wonder Tomato Basil Pasta, that takes almost no time and has excellent results. It is the perfect thing to serve when you don’t feel like cooking or you don’t have a lot of time on your hands. The best thing about the recipe is that my entire family eats it and enjoys it. In my house, that’s quite a feat.
The original recipe came from Martha Stewart’s One-Pan Pasta, but the changes in this version make it even better. This recipe calls for broth instead of wate,r and it makes a huge difference in terms of flavor. I have made this using a few variations including fresh tomatoes and fresh oregano when they were available in my garden, and chicken broth when I didn’t have vegetable broth in my house. They all worked well.
The recipe is versatile so you can add what you like if you are feeling ambitious, but it is very good as is. I like to serve pasta dishes with a protein in them, and sometimes I add grilled shrimp to the recipe. If you do decide to add shrimp, grill it separately and add it at the very end. There’s nothing that ruins a dish quicker than the flavor and texture of overcooked shrimp.
You wouldn’t want to do that after going to all this trouble.
