Testing Out One Pot Pasta

(All of the ingredients in one pot, too easy.)

It’s no secret that I don’t really like to cook, and I normally skim right over recipes when I see them on blogs.  But this One Pot Pasta from A Beautiful Mess hooked me with its name, since, when I do cook, I’m all about ease and convenience.  Though I love to eat, I don’t enjoy the process of cooking, and I think that fact comes out in my finished product.  I get bored or lazy, add too much or too little of an ingredient, and then the results are usually botched, unless it’s something fool-proof, like this pasta.

I followed the recipe exactly, though I didn’t add an entire package of noodles, because Ryan and I are the only ones who will eat this dish (my boys are still picky little eaters).  Since I didn’t adjust the other ingredients, especially the liquids, it was soupier than it probably should be, but that didn’t affect the flavor at all.  This recipe calls for vegetable stock, which adds extra flavor, and a can of diced tomatoes.  I added a few cherry tomatoes leftover from last week, and I think you could add or substitute what vegetables you have on hand.

(The pasta all ready to eat!)

Ryan is definitely the foodie in our household, and he’s really particular about his pasta.  I actually like softer pasta, and I find al dente too crunchy, to be honest.  But I wanted to score points with this recipe, so I followed it to a tee and boiled the pot for less time than suggested, since I wasn’t cooking as much pasta.  He declared it to be perfect and ate two servings, so I think it was a win for our family.  Even James told me that it smelled good, as he ate his apples and peanut butter, and I’m hoping that this will be a weekly staple when the boys are older and eating everything in sight.

This version is technically vegetarian, and Ryan suggested adding bacon (what else?) to give it more flavor.  I think you could also add leftover chicken or even ground beef, and they would also taste good.  The prep and clean-up time were minimal, which are basic recipe requirements for me, and I’m happy with this recipe.

I also want to try this soup, but I’m scared of folding all those dumplings.

Have you tried One Pot Pasta?  What are some of your easy, go-to recipes?