I was completely skeptical of the "One-Pot" craze that's been big with everyone in the cooking world from Martha Stewart on. When I ran across a recipe for One-Pot Pasta, I was doubly dubious. I have never been a big fan of vegetable-laden pasta, the contrast in textures from hard vegetables to soft pasta discouraging my enjoyment. However, I bravely gave it a try after reading that cook's raving review, and ended up thoroughly enjoying the experience! I was not a fan of the leftovers, and as I've been on my own a lot lately, I haven't tried it again. However, with a fridge full of vegetables that I could not consume quickly enough, I decided it was time to try it again, and modify the typical 4-servings to 1. I found this recipe for a leek one-pot pasta as a starting point for pasta-to-liquid ratio, and with numerous adjustments, created my own version (below). The beauty of these one-pot wonders is that besides the liquid/pasta ratio, the rest is completely flexible. Throw in the vegetables you have around!
Mona's One-Pot Pasta
1 Tbls olive oil
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 leek, thinly sliced (remove dark green parts)
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
2 baby garlics, thinly sliced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated carrot
2 small tomatoes, chopped
3-4 oz pasta, broken in half
1 cup vegetable broth
aged sheep's cheese, grated as a topping
Take a saucepan (1.5-2-quart size works great, as long as it's wide enough for the pasta) and heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add salt, leek, onion, garlics, and carrot and sauté until soft (7-10 minutes). Then add tomatoes, pasta, and broth and bring to a boil, making sure pasta is shoved down into the liquid. Reduce heat and stir occasionally for the length of time recommended on the pasta package or until liquids are absorbed. Place on plate, top with cheese, and enjoy!
*You can complete the first step of softening the vegetables for as many servings as you would like at one time, and then separate them out and store the extra before continuing to the following step, for fresh pasta at each meal without having to sauté each time.
1 Tbls olive oil
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 leek, thinly sliced (remove dark green parts)
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
2 baby garlics, thinly sliced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated carrot
2 small tomatoes, chopped
3-4 oz pasta, broken in half
1 cup vegetable broth
aged sheep's cheese, grated as a topping
Take a saucepan (1.5-2-quart size works great, as long as it's wide enough for the pasta) and heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add salt, leek, onion, garlics, and carrot and sauté until soft (7-10 minutes). Then add tomatoes, pasta, and broth and bring to a boil, making sure pasta is shoved down into the liquid. Reduce heat and stir occasionally for the length of time recommended on the pasta package or until liquids are absorbed. Place on plate, top with cheese, and enjoy!
*You can complete the first step of softening the vegetables for as many servings as you would like at one time, and then separate them out and store the extra before continuing to the following step, for fresh pasta at each meal without having to sauté each time.
