Sunday, May 31, 2015

Italian One-derpot

Yum
This one-pot wonder is inspired by this lovely post on budget recipes. As you can see, I’ve slightly modified the name :-). I’ve also made some other adjustments (addition of mushrooms, whole grain noodles, different cheese, etc.) and this has turned into a fabulously versatile pasta dish!

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Ingredients: (about 14-16 servings)
4 cups vegetable stock (I used store-bought, but you can make your own or substitute water, adjusting seasoning accordingly)
~1 cup water
~2 TBSP canola oil
12 oz. fettuccini noodles (or whole grain linguini noodles) - uncooked
~8 oz. fresh or frozen spinach
28 oz. diced tomatoes (I typically use one each of a 14oz can diced tomatoes and a 14oz can petite diced tomatoes, with no salt added)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
~8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic (adjust amount to your liking)
Italian spices to taste (use as many or as few as you wish), ~1 tsp each: dried basil, dried oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram (adjust amount per your preference)
ground black pepper
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

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Pour the vegetable stock + 1 cup water into a large pot and add the canola oil. Add uncooked noodles to the pot, breaking them in half for easier mixing. Add tomatoes, onion, mushroom, garlic, and other seasonings. (Note: if you prefer less crunchy onions, you can saute them for about 5 minutes first, then add the rest of the ingredients.)

Make sure the ingredients are mostly submerged and cover the pot with a lid before bringing to a boil on high. Once a full, rolling boil has been achieved, remove lid and turn the heat down to medium.

Add the frozen spinach and return to a boil. Continue to boil over medium heat, sans lid, for about 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom or sides.

When ready to serve, top with the freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

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This pasta marvel can be served up as-is, or along with Parmesan-crusted chicken:

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~Karla

Note: I usually underestimate just how much food this recipe makes, so even after a couple of dinners and sharing with friends, I’ve been able repurpose the leftovers in a delicious chicken-pasta bake (put pasta into a lined baking pan, add cooked chopped chicken breast, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake at 350F for ½ hour):

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