One Pan Spaghetti (small batch)

 

This pasta recipe that I am sharing with you today is for a pasta that cooks all in one pot, both the sauce and the spaghetti noodles.   There is no need to cook the pasta separately. It cooks right in that delicious tomato sauce.

I  am all for shortcuts if I can find them, especially if they don't compromise on quality and taste, and this fabulous recipe compromises on neither of those things. You end up with perfectly cooked pasta and a delicious well seasoned and flavored tomato sauce.  I call this a win/win!

 

I discovered the recipe on a page called The Chunky Chef.  It looked delicious and she said it was one of her family's favorite meals.  Once which is requested frequently.  That sounded promising.

It is very similar to Martha Stewart's One Pan Pasta.  Martha's recipe does take advantage of using fresh cherry tomatoes and basil in season and is not as saucy I don't think. 

This One Pan Spaghetti recipe in its original state made enough for eight servings. I did not want eight servings and so I adapted it to make only four servings.  I don't mind eating things like this two days in a row and I am also not adverse to enjoying leftover spaghetti for my breakfast or lunch. (Leftover cooked spaghetti is especially nice fried in butter. Just saying.)

 

When I was a teenager my mother used to make what she called "Italian Spaghetti."  It consisted of ground beef being browned in a saucepan and a can of Catelli spaghetti sauce (the cheapest you could find) dumped on top and heated through. I hated the stuff.  

Not only have I never been fond of ground meat mixed with pasta, but that sauce was nothing to write home about.   I ate my spaghetti without sauce and just adorned with butter, salt and pepper and a hefty sprinkling of what we called smelly sock cheese. (Parmesan.)

You used to be able to buy a box of Kraft Spaghetti Dinner mix back then as well as a Chef Boy Ar Dee one. Those I did enjoy.  Its all down to the sauce. Their sauces had flavor.  Pasta and pizza are all about a good sauce, but then again that is just my humble opinion.

If you are looking for a good and simple supper without a lot of bells and whistles, that tastes good and is easy to make, you can't go too far wrong with this one!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ONE PAN SPAGHETTI

This dish comes together with pretty simple, store cupboard ingredients. I would consider this to be a real, simple and easy,  store cupboard meal.

• 1 1/2 TBS light olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and minced
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 (14oz/425g) tin of whole tomatoes, in tomato juice, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups (360ml)chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp good quality balsamic vinegar
• 8 ounces (227g) dry spaghetti noodles, broken in half
• 1/4 cup (23g) grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional cheese to serve
• minced fresh basil to garnish

 

You can use already chopped tomatoes in juice if that is all you have. I think that the consistency of the whole tomatoes is a bit better in this recipe.

My onion was about the size of a golf ball. Also don't worry about the amount of garlic. It seems like a lot, but it works out to be just fine.

If you want this to be vegetarian use vegetable stock, otherwise chicken stock works fine. You could also use beef stock for a meatier flavor.

For a lovely mellow flavor use a quality Balsamic vinegar which is not too harsh. I always keep a jar of good Balsamic in my cupboard. Its not the most expensive but it is a quality one. Bertolli, from Modena.

Leave out the pepper flakes if you are not fond of heat. You can add as many as you think you can handle otherwise, but do remember you don't want to drown out that natural sweetness of the tomatoes or anything else with too strong a flavor from the pepper flakes.

Good eating should be a pleasant experience and not feel like you are fighting a battle of flavors.

 

HOW TO MAKE ONE PAN SPAGHETTI (SMALL BATCH)

This really is simple to make. It all cooks in the one pan which makes for less mess and less to clean up at the end.

Heat the oil in a deep skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened, but not colored.

Add the herbs and seasonings. Cook stirring until quite fragrant. Add the tomatoes, mashing them a bit with a potato masher to give you your desired consistency. Add the chicken or vegetable broth and balsamic vinegar.

 

Bring to the boil. Add the spaghetti noodles, stirring well to coat with the liquid. Reduce the pan to a simmer and cover.

Cook, stirring every few minutes to help to keep the pasta strands from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to each other.

After 8 to 10 minutes the pasta should be cooked al dente and most of the liquid should have been absorbed. (If the pasta is not al dente, you may need to add a bit more chicken stock and continue to cook until it is. It all depends on the brand of spaghetti.)

Stir in the Parmesan cheese, allowing it to melt. Serve hot and garnished with additional Parmesan cheese and chopped basil, if desired.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR SUCCESS

If you follow these tips I can practically guarantee you success!

1. Do use whole tomatoes for authenticity and a well rounded sauce. You can use the ready chopped, but I love the irregular look of the whole tomatoes, hand  fork crushed.

2. Break the spaghetti in half unless you are using spaghetti which has  been designed to cook in a smaller pan. 

3.  Stir the spaghetti frequently while it is cooking, especially at the beginning.  This helps to prevent the spaghetti from sticking to the bottom of the pan while it is cooking. It also helps to keep the strands separate and prevent them from clumping together.

 

I was really pleased with how this turned out. It was quick and easy to make and was really delicious. I love pasta and this really fit the bill on a night when I didn't want to have to cook anything complicated.

A meat lover could add ground meat to the dish if they wanted to, or even some meatballs. I think they would both work very well. I was quite happy with it just as it was.  I enjoyed with some homemade cheesy garlic bread.  A salad would also go  very nicely.

If you are a fan of simple pasta recipes you might also enjoy the following:

 PASTA E PISELLI - Simple ingredients put together in a simple way.  Pasta, peas, water and cheese. It doesn't get any simpler or easier than this. You wouldn't think that simple things like this could come together in such a delicious way, but like magic, they do!  I love this.

PASTA WITH CHICKEN BROTH, BUTTER & CHEESE - This brilliant pasta dish is a beautiful example of simple and uncomplicated foods.  Food done well and put together in a most delicious way. Stock and pasta are the basis of this very simple and yet delicious dish in which pasta is quite simply cooked in a quantity of stock . . .  It doesn't get much easier than this. 

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

One Pan Spaghetti

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

This really cooks all in one pan and is delicious. It makes for a great midweek supper for four. A delicious homemade sauce simmers away, cooking the pasta at the same time.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 TBS light olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and minced
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 (14oz/425g) tin of whole tomatoes, in tomato juice, undrained
• 1 1/2 cups (360ml)chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp good quality balsamic vinegar
• 8 ounces (227g) dry spaghetti noodles, broken in half
• 1/4 cup (23g) grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional cheese to serve
• minced fresh basil to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a deep skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened, but not colored.
2. Add the herbs and seasonings. Cook stirring until quite fragrant. Add the tomatoes, mashing them a bit with a potato masher to give you your desired consistency. Add the chicken or vegetable broth and balsamic vinegar.
3. Bring to the boil. Add the spaghetti noodles, stirring well to coat with the liquid. Reduce the pan to a simmer and cover.
4. Cook, stirring every few minutes to help to keep the pasta strands from sticking to the bottom of the pan and to each other.
5. After 8 to 10 minutes the pasta should be cooked al dente and most of the liquid should have been absorbed. (If the pasta is not al dente, you may need to add a bit more chicken stock and continue to cook until it is. It all depends on the brand of spaghetti.)
6. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, allowing it to melt.
7. Serve hot and garnished with additional Parmesan cheese and chopped basil, if desired.

Notes

If you like you can add meat to this. You may brown some ground beef or Italian sausage in the pan prior to cooking the onion, draining off any fat that accumulates and continuing as per the recipe.

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