A delicious, quick pasta dinner that’s no-stress? Coming right up! This simple one-pan pasta is ready 35 minutes or less and cooks up fast in a skillet on the stove. Perfectly cooked noodles (recipe uses rigatoni noodles, but fusilli or cavatappi work well, too!) are coated in a fresh grape tomato and garlic pasta sauce.
A while back —so far back it was pre-Pinterest or smart phones —I came across a one pot pasta recipe from the Queen, Martha Stewart (I know she's not everyone's cup of tea, but you can't deny she knows her stuff).
I shoved said recipe into a big accordion file where it sat but never quite left my mind because I knew you'd love it as much as me. The real Josie and Nina might reject the idea of a pasta cooked directly in sauce; but they'd certainly love the fact that it's an amazing 30 minute meal idea!
And such an easy pasta dinner idea for your family!
A novel way to cook pasta
Let it sink in: dried pasta simmers in a big pan of fresh tomatoes, broth, wine and seasonings for about 30 minutes or so.
Easy, right?
But let's be honest...boiling water and cooking pasta in it and spooning over some sauce is also really easy! Perfect example? This Lemon and Garlic Bucatini. Simple!
So why should we want to cook dried pasta in sauce?
- Big Flavor. Pasta absorbs so much flavor when cooked right in the sauce. And this sauce is just built from tomato, onion, garlic and thyme.
- Authentic. When I say authentic, I don't mean the technique but the resulting rich deliciousness tastes like you've cooked it for hours.
- Time. While making pasta isn't a big time sucker, making the sauce can be. So making a skillet pasta saves time.
- Easy clean-up. One pan, one utensil. Easy clean-up. You'll be on the couch, pasta bowl in hand, watching the next episode of whatever show you're bingeing in no time!
Speaking of cooking the pasta, let's get down to shapes and sizes.
Best types of pasta for a one pot pasta recipe
Rigatoni is a great choice for easy one pan pasta meals because it cooks al dente (which means to the tooth in Italian) and will stay that way while absorbing all the great flavors.
Other pasta shapes that work are:
- shells
- cavatappi - my favorite is this one by DeCecco.
- fusilli
What kind of pan do I need?
Any wide skillet with high sides and a lid will work but the key here is higher sides to accomodate for all the liquid needed to cook the pasta.
Here are some options:
- Lodge Large Cast Iron Skillet. This is what I'm using.
- All Clad Essentials Pan. One of my all time favs.
- The Always Pan by One Place. Has a huge cult following.
- Rachael Ray Create Delicious Hard Anodized Deep Skillet
Choosing your tomatoes
Recipes with fresh tomatoes have a rusticity and Italian authenticity. But that doesn't mean you can't use canned tomatoes (my favorite are San Marzano)!
Any tomato you have on hand will work for this pasta recipe.
Step by step instructions
Assemble all of your ingredients and let's make a one pan pasta!
- Saute onions over low heat for about five minutes adding garlic at the end (1).
- Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes until they burst (2).
- Top with pasta (3) and enough chicken broth to cover the pasta (4). Put a lid on the whole thing and cook for about 15-20 minutes until the pasta is al dente and has absorbed most of the liquid. Add some butter right at the end to bring it all together.
FAQ's
You can use dried but use just 1 teaspoon. Or use basil instead. Or leave the herbs out all together.
Absolutely! For a little acidity, add a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice.
Sure thing! While this is typically a fresh tomato pasta recipe, canned tomatoes would also be great. Mutti makes a canned cherry tomato that I love to use. While I haven’t used a whole canned tomatoes or diced canned tomatoes for this recipe, I think they’d be be great substitutes.
You betchya! Grape tomatoes will cook up faster than cherry but you'll still end up with an amazing one pot pasta.
Make Ahead, Storing, Freezing
Make ahead / reheating
Best made before serving but I get that when the craving hits, it hits.
- Make the dish earlier in the day without the parmesan.
- Right before serving, put the pasta in the pan on the stove.
- Add a little broth to loosen things up and heat.
- Top with parmesan cheese.
Storing
Refrigerate leftovers (if there are any) in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freezing
This dish is best enjoyed and made all in the same day. I haven't tried freezing it but if you end up doing it, please let me know how it works for you!
📖 Recipe
30 Minute One-Pan Pasta Dinner (Vegetarian)
Equipment
- covered skillet with high sides
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 cups grape tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon pepper, divided
- ½ cup dry white wine, like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc
- 4 cups dry rigatoni pasta, can use fusilli or cavatappi
- 3 cups chicken broth, or more (see note below)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- fresh grated parmesan cheese
- crushed red pepper, optional
- fresh basil, optional
Instructions
- With heat to medium high, heat a 4 qt. (or 12") skillet with a tight fitting lid and high sides I use either this Lodge Cast Iron Skillet or the All Clad Essentials Pan.
- Add olive oil and after a minute add chopped onion. Saute for 5 minutes until lightly golden. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds until you can smell it. You don't want it to brown or burn.3 Tablespoons olive oil, ½ cup chopped onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Add tomatoes to skillet along with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook until blistered and the tomatoes pop, about 10 minutes.2 cups grape tomatoes, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon pepper
- Pour in the wine and cook for 2 minutes.½ cup dry white wine
- Add the uncooked pasta to the pan. Pour over the chicken broth using more if needed to cover the pasta. Add the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons salt and ¾ teaspoon of pepper.4 cups dry rigatoni pasta, 3 cups chicken broth
- Sprinkle over the chopped thyme. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and cover the pan.1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring periodically. Check after 10 minutes to see how the pasta is cooking and absorbing the sauce.You'll want almost all of the liquid to be absorbed. Remove the lid if needed for the last few minutes.
- Add the butter and stir until thickened. See note below if you need the sauce a little thicker.2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, fresh grated parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper, fresh basil
- Sprinkle over fresh parmesan and basil/crushed red pepper (if using).
Notes
- Make the dish earlier in the day without the parmesan.
- Right before serving, put the pasta in the pan on the stove.
- Add a little broth to loosen things up and heat.
- Top with parmesan cheese.
What a helpful idea, to cook the pasta in the sauce. It cuts the work by more than half. To make this dish as a side and serve it with some main course of meat cooked in the Italian manner to agree in flavor.. it sounds very tasty. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Thank you for the lovely comment, Flora! I so appreciate it. Look for more one pan pasta recipes in the coming year from me - I love the amazing flavor that the pasta gets from being cooked in the sauce and I especially love the easy clean-up! Thanks again!🤗
Pasta in one pot? SIGN ME UP! So delicious!
Right? So easy and I literally can't stop eating it! 🤗