One Pot, Full Plate
- Ella Braithwaite
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Life’s busy. Dinner doesn’t have to be.
This one-pot pasta recipe keeps things beautifully simple just sweet tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a little magic in one pan. It’s cozy, satisfying, and comes together with minimal fuss and maximum flavor. Fewer dishes, more delicious moments.
Prep Time:
5 mins
Cook Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
25 mins
Servings:
4
What You'll Need: (For Less Than 20 bucks)
4 cups water
16 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 ounces spaghetti
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 cups greens, such as arugula, baby spinach, and/or Swiss chard
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
basil leaves, for garnish
How It Goes Down (A.K.A. The Delicious Game Plan):
Start with a sizzle.
Drizzle some olive oil into your favorite big pot (the one that makes you feel like a kitchen boss). Add garlic—and onion if you’re feeling extra—then let it all get cozy and fragrant.
Tomato time.
Toss in your cherry or grape tomatoes (halved for juicy drama), sprinkle with salt, pepper, and your herb of choice. Let them burst, bubble, and basically turn into edible confetti.
Let the magic happen.
Turn the heat down and let everything simmer low and slow. Stir now and then—pretend you’re in a cooking show montage. Give it time. The sauce will thicken and get all saucy and irresistible.
Pasta party.
Drop in your pasta, right into the same pot if there’s enough liquid or cook it separately and toss it in like a culinary mic drop. Stir until every noodle is coated in tomato gold.
Finish strong.
Top it off with a generous snowfall of parmesan, a pinch of chili flakes if you like it spicy, and maybe a bit of lemon zest to keep things zippy.
Serve and swoon.
Twirl it onto a plate, grab a fork, and enjoy the easiest fancy dinner you’ve ever made. Napkins optional. Seconds? Mandatory.
That’s a wrap (or a twirl).
One pot, a handful of ingredients, and suddenly you're the kind of person who makes dinner look effortless. Bookmark it, brag about it, make it again next week. Because when life gets messy, at least dinner doesn’t have to be.
