One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
Pasta cooked straight in its sauce — starch becomes silk, and there's only one pot to wash.
Ingredients
- 200 g Pasta
- 400 g Canned tomatoes
- ½ Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 leaves Basil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 30 g Hard cheese (optional)
Method
- Thinly slice the onion and the garlic cloves.
- Soften the sliced onion and garlic in the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat until translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, a generous splash of water, the salt, and the dry pasta to the pot.
- Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, stirring once so the pasta does not clump.
- Simmer over medium heat, stirring often so nothing sticks, until the pasta is tender and the sauce clings like silk, about 12 minutes.
- Tear the basil leaves into the pot and stir them through.
- Serve straight from the pot, grating the cheese over each bowl if you like.
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About One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta cooks the pasta directly in its own tomato sauce, a method that both cuts the washing-up to a single vessel and changes the texture of the finished dish. Because the pasta releases its starch straight into the simmering tomatoes and water rather than into a separate pot of boiling water that gets drained away, the sauce thickens and turns silky, clinging to every strand instead of sitting in a puddle. It's rooted in simple Italian home cooking — onion and garlic softened in olive oil, canned tomatoes, and a handful of torn basil — and needs nothing more to taste of summer.
The eating is bright and clean: sweet-tart tomato, the fragrance of fresh basil torn in at the end, and a rounded richness from olive oil and grated hard cheese finishing each bowl. Stirring often as it simmers is the one thing that matters, since pasta cooked in a shallow amount of liquid will stick if left alone. It comes together in about twenty-five minutes and serves two, which makes it an ideal fast weeknight dinner. Keep it vegan by leaving off the cheese, or grate plenty over the top for a more classic finish.
One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta?
A serving has about 585 calories — 16.4g protein, 92.4g carbs, 16.2g fat, 7.7g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Pasta. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Do I need every ingredient to make One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out hard cheese — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta make?
This recipe makes 2 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.