One-pot tomato basil pasta

Solve the weeknight dinner dilemma with one-pot tomato basil pasta -- a super-fast, healthy meal that can be made in only 10 minutes.

So, you know by now that my goal is to help you to cut the crap from your diet by showing you how to make easy, delicious, healthy meals and snacks at home. I don't need to beat a dead horse.

(OMG, where the hell does that awful expression come from? I don't even want to google it to find out.)

So, instead of horse beating, I'll just tell you about this one-pot tomato basil pasta recipe.

Yep, you read that correctly: one pot. Because I go completely cray cray over “one-pot” recipes that actually require you to cook the pasta separately. That's two pots, people; I may not love math but I can count to freakin' TWO. Therefore, I swear to you this recipe only involves one pot. Do you own a big pot? Good. Got a stove and 15 minutes? Excellent. That's pretty much all you need to get a wholesome, real-food dinner on the table tonight.

I've heard these one-pot pasta recipes referred to as “wonderpots” – and I can understand why. In fact, I think they're triply wonderful:

1) First wonder: The pasta is self-saucing. That is, as the pasta cooks in the pot with the fresh ingredients, it releases starches that thicken the cooking liquid to form a rich sauce. How freakin' cool is that?

2) Second wonder: It's absurdly quick and easy to make. Just throw a bunch of ingredients into a pot (ONE POT, NOT TWO), stir the bejesus out of it for ten minutes and then – wonder of wonders! – dinner is served. Now that's my kind of meal. And yours, too, I bet.

3) Third wonder: The recipe is completely customizable. Do you eat gluten-free? Substitute quinoa spaghetti. Want to change up the flavor? Use different herbs and spices and toss in some mushrooms. Prefer more protein? Add some cooked sausage near the end of the cooking time.

Added bonus or fourth wonder? The continual ten minutes of stirring is an amazing arm workout. Seriously. If I made this one-pot pasta every day, I'd have arms like Michelle Obama in no time. Now, I'd probably be so sick of pasta that I would want to jab myself in the eye with a sharp stick, but hey, my arms would be epic.

Enjoy the pasta – and the workout.

UPDATE JUNE 2015: Love this one pot wonder? Try my new healthy one pot Asian pasta, too!

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out all my healthy, easy weeknight dinner recipes!

One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

(adapted from Martha Stewart Living)

Ingredients:
1 13.25-ounce box whole wheat linguine
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (1 pint of grape tomatoes)
handful of basil, chopped
handful of parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
5 cups water
parmesan cheese for serving

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to submerge the pasta as it softens. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring and tossing continually (tongs are great for this) for about 8 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and the pasta is cooked. Serve immediately, topped with parmesan cheese.

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