One-Pot Wonders
by: Genius Recipes
May1,2021
4
101 Ratings
- Prep time 10 minutes
- Cook time 20 minutes
- Serves 4
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Author Notes
This pasta cooks entirely in one pan (without boiling water first) and makes its own sauce, all in about 9 minutes. Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart Living (June 2013)
Helpful tools for this recipe:
- Staub Sesame Cookware
- Microplane Box Grater
- Five Two Stoneware Bowls
—Genius Recipes
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Martha Stewart's One-PanPasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounceslinguine
- 12 ouncescherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
- 1 onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoonred pepper flakes
- 2 sprigsbasil, plus torn leaves for garnish
- 2 tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- Coarse salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 1/2 cupswater
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Directions
- Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet (the linguine should lay flat).
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs or a fork, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among 4 bowls, and garnish with basil. Serve with olive oil and Parmesan.
Tags:
- Pasta
- American
- Italian
- One-Pot Wonders
- Summer
- Fall
- Vegetarian
- Food52 Pantry
- Entree
See what other Food52ers are saying.
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Kazumi J.
-
Pisanella
-
Smaug
-
Heather Hildebrand
-
Billie Lee Crane
Recipe by: Genius Recipes
Popular on Food52
216 Reviews
Debra W. January 27, 2024
This was delicious! I made it exactly as written, except cut it in half. I didn't find it to be too starchy as others did. My sauce was silky and light. This is definitely a keeper. One pan and done!
QueenVictoria January 23, 2024
I discovered this recipe a while back on Food52 and it's one of my favorite go-to's when I'm fresh out of ideas. It's EASY, QUICK, and most of the time I have all of the ingredients on hand. Though I usually have chicken broth in my pantry, when I don't, water is absolutely fine. A superb easy, pleasing meal with salad and bread!
Callaham December 30, 2023
The linguine should LIE flat, not lay.
Kay C. November 4, 2023
Fabulous, I used chicken broth, which I think always adds additional flavor to just about any dish, especially pasta! Don’t be rigid, but adjust as needed for your taste! I always make my own pasta sauce which I find very easy to adjust into a complete meal by adding a protein! We like shrimp or chicken! Good luck!
Kat April 13, 2023
I added some red wine and Italian seasoning and left out the pepper flakes. I used 20 oz of cherry tomatoes. I cooked fresh linguine seperatly. It was very good. Love the fresh taste.
tonyritmo January 19, 2023
Easy and quick to make this delicious meal 😋 Thank you, Martha.
Lucy’sNana July 6, 2022
I use this recipe a lot. However, I adjusted the recipe to use 16 oz. of pasta, 6 cloves of garlic, 16 oz. cherry tomatoes cut in half and 6 1/2 cups of water along with all the other ingredients. It is not starchy and makes a great sauce. I also sometimes add peas and/or shrimp.
Trustinsky1! April 1, 2022
This is an effective and quick way to make pasta for all ages and people. If it’s too starchy, separate the pasta and strain it, but for our family- it is nice to have one dish to clean and everyone loved it!! Thank you!
Kazumi J. March 27, 2022
Tried this recipe last night and it worked very well! My family loves it! I adjusted some ingredients in the recipes by replacement around half of the water with larger beer, which gave pasta a subtle flavor of beer, and add canned tuna steak to have a meaty / umami flavor. Since I've never taste it before, I assumed and adjusted profile to be salty > spicy > slightly sour from tomato. This recipe will surely make a return to my dining plate :)
Pisanella January 16, 2022
Not for me! I find it quicker to cook the pasta separately whilst concentrating on making the sauce. The cooking time says 9 minutes in the recipe, but underneath it says 20 mins.
Maal October 21, 2021
I used 16oz pasta as most recipes call for that amount and I hate having 4oz left over that ends up getting tossed. Added an extra half cup of water and it was fine. Next time I'll add 4oz more tomatoes too. I had no issue with the starch as it did what it was supposed to - thicken the sauce. But I do want to try it with broth instead of water, too; either Better than Bouillon chicken or garlic flavor sounds like it would be good.
Pisanella January 16, 2022
Never toss leftover cooked pasta. Next day, add a beaten egg or two and some Parmesan and make a pasta fritter. Delicious hot or cold.
patti June 30, 2023
I always use broth instead of water. It's better for sure.
Karen G. August 17, 2021
Excellent and easy. Now that it’s tomato corn season, I added a cup of fresh corn kernels cut off the cob. Although others have complained about the starch, I find the pasta starch adds body to the sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly and not over done. We ate this as a vegetarian meal but it would be a fine accompaniment to fish, meat, or fowl.
Beth July 18, 2021
I'm with you, Lindalilly. Too starchy, but the veggie part is great. Just cook the pasta separately, which of course negates the idea of fewer pans to clean, but the result is worth it.
Lindalilly July 18, 2021
I have tried this recipe three times and just can’t get on board with it. The pasta emits too much starch into the dish which seems to distract from the flavour. I know friends have had more success with it but I’ll have to pass on this recipe.
Moo May 25, 2021
Nice! I dumped the evoo in the pan and tossed in the garlic, then the onion and let that sizzle for minute or two. Added a tbsp of butter and maybe 1/4 heavy cream about half way through. Family was skeptical, but it all got eaten. Next time… some grilled Italian sausage on top or even better, shrimp.
VA C. January 4, 2021
Glad I tried this method, as I was curious. Appreciate the recipe! Bottom line: having fewer pans to clean was nice, and I loved not having to wash a colander -- a fabulous advantage in some situations, such as right after a long day -- but I didn't care for the resulting starchiness of the pasta despite my best effort. I probably won't make it again. Personal taste. I suggest: (1) Use a large pan of the type illustrated, not a pot. This recipe relies on evaporation and some reduction. (2) Use enough liquid to cover, plus a bit, rather than slavishly following the quantity listed. (3) For better flavor, use broth, beer, etc. rather than plain water; adapt and crank up seasonings to your taste; and throw in a few more lipids, e.g. some butter at the end. (4) Monitor carefully, perhaps using a spatula to keep pasta off the bottom and definitely tongs once the linguini is nearly cooked -- but to avoid stickiness, do NOT overmanipulate. There's a reason we don't stir pasta while it boils conventionally, right? The same physics and chemistry apply here, but are harder to placate in this shallow-pan setup.
PS: Heavens, no, dear fellow reviewers, what makes anyone imagine that gluten-free pasta would be a natural choice for this recipe? Gluten is what holds together traditional pasta and gives it a wee bit of stretch. I predict a soggy mess with GF product, but if someone has advice on technique, do share. Also, in terms of pasta shape, I suspect linguini is called for here because it has the best chance of laying flat under the liquid and other ingredients, so that it may boil properly. Finally, rather than following the recipe's suggested cooking time to a tee and then being disappointed, it may help to pay attention to the pasta itself and recognize it may take a bit longer than the time range on the box, because here we are not boiling in copious water, but a broth with veggies.
PPS: Note that the recipe does not call for an entire pound (16 oz) of linguini, which most boxes contain, but 12 ounces. That corresponds to the amount of fresh cherry tomatoes called for.
Roz February 17, 2021
I've made similar one pot recipes using GF pasta. The brand used was Jovial and the shape with the best result was fusilli, but penne also worked tolerably well. The fusilli cooked in the time on the box, while the penne took 3 minutes longer. Tinkyada would probably turn to mush. I have not tried this method with Banza chickpea pasta. GF pasta is sold in smaller packages than normal pasta, so adjustments may be necessary. When cooking for two I use 5 - 6 oz of dry pasta.
Maal October 21, 2021
I stir pasta when pasta when boiling it on its own. It keeps it from clumping together. I stirred this recipe a few times, just as I normally do with plain pasta, and had no stickiness or issues with the bottom of the pan. I did use 16oz of pasta instead of 12, and added an extra half cup of water because of that. A little parm on top, and it was perfect tasting, no extra seasoning needed, not even the salt and pepper or the oil suggested at the end of the recipe.
Smaug June 4, 2022
Most pasta nowadays is in 12 oz. boxes, at least the brands that I buy.
VA C. January 4, 2021
Glad I tried this method, as I was curious. Appreciate the recipe! Bottom line: having fewer pans to clean was nice, and I loved not having to wash a colander -- a fabulous advantage in some situations, such as right after a long day -- but I didn't care for the resulting starchiness of the pasta despite my best effort. I probably won't make it again. Personal taste. I suggest: (1) Use a large pan of the type illustrated, not a pot. This recipe relies on evaporation and some reduction. (2) Use enough liquid to cover, plus a bit, rather than slavishly following the quantity listed. (3) For better flavor, use broth, beer, etc. rather than plain water; adapt and crank up seasonings to your taste; and throw in a few more lipids, e.g. some butter at the end. (4) Monitor carefully, perhaps using a spatula to keep pasta off the bottom and definitely tongs once the linguini is nearly cooked -- but to avoid stickiness, do NOT overmanipulate. There's a reason we don't stir pasta while it boils conventionally, right? The same physics and chemistry apply here, but are harder to placate in this shallow-pan setup.
PS: Heavens, no, dear fellow reviewers, what makes anyone imagine that gluten-free pasta would be a natural choice for this recipe? Gluten is what holds together traditional pasta and gives it a wee bit of stretch. I predict a soggy mess with GF product, but if someone has advice on technique, do share. Also, in terms of pasta shape, I suspect linguini is called for here because it has the best chance of laying flat under the liquid and other ingredients, so that it may boil properly. Finally, rather than following the recipe's suggested cooking time to a tee and then being disappointed, it may help to pay attention to the pasta itself and recognize it may take a bit longer than the time range on the box, because here we are not boiling in copious water, but a broth with veggies.
BR95510 November 3, 2020
I'm reviewing this for a second time because this past weekend, I cooked this recipe over a campfire in a Lodge Cook-It-All cast iron pot. As when I cooked it at home, it came out wonderfully. I chopped the onion and garlic and put it in a ziplock bag before we left for camping. It was so easy to throw together once we had the fire going. I'm always stunned by the negative comments. Yes, I did have to cook it a tad longer than expected, but you pull a piece of pasta out, check it, and adjust accordingly. This recipe is a camper's best friend!
Joyce W. November 3, 2020
I won’t make this again. In order to achieve any taste I had to drain and reduce and fiddle and taste and fuss endlessly.. too much water for starters. The old way is faster and more foolproof. I do love the lemon pasta for one and think that using larger quanties of ingredients makes for a muted, overcooked dish.
Heather H. January 3, 2021
I have to wonder if you measured your water correctly... and if you did, what sort of pan you were using. This will not work in a pot, it requires a large skillet. Skillets allow more water to evaporate, thereby reducing the amount of water significantly faster. The recipe calls for a large skillet specifically so the water will evaporate fast enough to leave you with an appropriately sauced pasta.
Billie L. January 4, 2022
I have made this many many times and I always use a large soup pot. Works perfect.
October 14, 2020
I understand the mix of positive and negative reviews here as this is one that either really works or really doesn't, and the factors that make it work or not can be a bit imprecise (you have to have exactly the right amount of all the ingredients and sometimes it's hard to tell--I'm blessed with a local supermarket that sells tomatoes in labelled 6oz packages lol) but this recipe will always have a special place in my heart because it's what I make when I have no energy but want to get back to Real Food. The colors and the scents of the fresh ingredients make me happy and the simple flavors are comforting, and I think pasta helps your brain produce serotonin or something? All I know is I make this and I feel better, and I hope other people do too.
Maal October 21, 2021
I used 16oz of pasta and added an additional half cup of water because of that, and it came perfect. Next time I'll add 16oz of tomatoes too. The skillet or a low sided vessel is key; a high sided pot won't work as well at all. So I wonder if some aren't using the right vessel. I agree that the fresh, bright flavors, especially the basil, do make you feel good.
