Try this One Pan Pasta recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 12 ounces linguine - i just used 3/4 of a 16-ounce box. i wo not angel hair or quinoa pasta, as they have shorter cooking times.
- 12 ounces, which is about 3/4 of a pint of cherry or grape to washed and halved
- 1 red onion thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 sprigs basil plus some extra torn leaves for garnish
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin-olive oil
- 4 1/2 cups water
- freshly shredded parmesan cheese for topping the p
- Carbohydrate 0.1860534375 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.0134146875 g
- Fiber 0.0772125002145767 g
- Protein 0.0321215625 g
- Saturated Fat 0.003489375 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (718g)
- Sodium 1765.56393751803 mg
- Sugar 0.108840937285423 g
- Trans Fat 0.0011803125 g
- Calories 1 calories
Step-by-step
- Ok, first things first! Let's prep our ingredients. Peel and thinly slice your red onion. Peel and thinly slice your garlic cloves.
- Wash and halve your cherry tomatoes. Get out a large straight-sided skillet pan and put in your pasta, tomatoes, red onion, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, basil sprigs, olive oil and pour the in the 4 1/2 cups water. Pretty easy right? You're truly throwing everything into the pan at the same time. Love it! Turn up the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Let the water come to a full boil. You will see bubbles on the side of the pan at first, but wait until you see bubbles all over the pan.
- Once your water comes to a full boil, set your timer to 9 minutes. Note: If you're using a whole-wheat or quinoa pasta, you may want to check their cooking times and adjust the cooking time accordingly. I have not used either of those pastas so I can't tell you how this recipe works with those types of pastas. Stand by the stove and using tongs, lift and move the pasta around every so often so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. You will notice that most of the water is evaporating and getting thicker, and everything is starting to cook down like the tomatoes and the onions. Test the pasta at 9 minutes and it should be al dente!
- Turn off the heat and give the pasta a few quick tosses. There will be some liquid at the bottom of the pan, but don't fret, the liquid will thicken up and turn into a sauce.
- Serve up the pasta in large bowls and top with some Parmesan cheese and fresh basil. The basil leaves really add that extra punch of flavor, so be sure to top everyone's pasta with a few leaves.
Traditional Italian pasta preparation demands a large pot of heavily salted water kept at a rolling boil, requiring separate vessels for the sauce and the starch. Boiling linguine directly in a shallow skillet with tomatoes, aromatics, and a measured amount of water reverses standard technique. Starch released from the pasta as it softens melds directly with the evaporating cooking liquid, emulsifying with the extra virgin olive oil to form a glossy sauce without the addition of heavy cream or butter.
Managing Starch and Evaporation
Using a straight-sided skillet allows maximum surface area for the four and a half cups of water to evaporate evenly over high heat. Because the liquid starts cold, stirring frequently with tongs during the nine-minute cooking window prevents the strands from matting against the bottom of the metal. If the liquid reduces too quickly before the linguine reaches an al dente bite, add hot water in quarter-cup increments.
- Ensure the skillet is wide enough to accommodate the 12 ounces of dry linguine without breaking the strands in half.
- Monitor the heat carefully once a full rolling boil is achieved to avoid scorching the garlic and onions at the base of the pan.
- Let the finished dish rest for one minute off the heat so the remaining starches tighten into a cohesive coating.
