A one-pot-wonder that will impress your significant other

Hi blogging family,

As always, I hope this post finds you and your family safe and healthy. Going back to blogging has been such a joy in uncertain times. The WHO just announced today that they are going to release a series of short films that focus on health and hope. I’ll keep you up to date when they are released. I’m sure the films will be translated or have subtitles in many languages.

This post is for the significant other who normally doesn’t do the cooking. Now is the perfect time to learn a easy meal that you can make for your loved ones. You can use up some of your produce and a lot of the ingredients you can find in your pantry. It also makes for a perfect date night in. And did I mention only one dish to clean? I have a lot of tips that make the meal more flavorful than most one-pot/pan pastas. Lets get started! 

One-Pot Tomato Basil Linguine

Yield: 4 servings         Prep Time: 10 minutes         Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:
12 oz Linguine
Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves minced
15 oz cherry tomatoes halved (about 1 1/2 pints of cherry tomatoes)*
1 small dried red chili pepper**
About 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano (depending on your taste)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups of water
1-2 sprigs of fresh basil, Chiffonade the leaves***
1 small lemon quartered (optional)
Lots of freshly grated parmesan (I used Violife which is an amazing non-dairy parmesan)

Directions:
1. In a large pot, sauté the onions and garlic in extra virgin olive oil until onions are translucent and slightly golden.****

2. Combine the onion and garlic with the pasta, tomatoes, chili pepper, oregano, a drizzle of olive oil, a few dashes of salt and pepper, and water in the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. As the pasta and veggies are boiling, stir and turn the pasta frequently with tongs.***** Do this until the pasta is al dente. The water should be nearly evaporated. This takes around 8 minutes or so depending on if you are working on a gas or electric stove.

3. Take out the chili pepper. Add 3/4 of the basil. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Turn the pasta until all water is evaporated (make sure you’re not overcooking the pasta).

4. Plate and serve immediately with the remaining basil, grated parmesan, and lemon wedges if you want a little zest. Enjoy!

Tips:
* This recipe is super versatile when it comes to tomatoes. I’ve tried heirloom tomatoes fresh from the summer market. It made the dish really come alive. I also used a mixture of on-the-vine tomatoes and yellow grape tomatoes. The point is to use up your tomatoes in this dish.

**Crushed red pepper flakes sometimes makes the sauce bitter. Dried pepperoncini (not the pickled yellow peppers) work best. If you can’t find them, a whole dried ancho pepper will work in a pinch. Just remember to take the ancho pepper out of the sauce a few minutes earlier than you would the pepperoncini.

***Chiffonade is a fancy word for slicing basil into very thin ribbons. Use a sharp knife and they should look like little spirals.

****Most one-pot pasta recipes have you throw the garlic and onion raw in the pot with the other ingredients. It’s essential to sauté the onion and garlic first. It infuses the flavor of the water. Otherwise the pasta will taste bland.

*****Turning the pasta regularly is super important. Keep an eye on the noodles and make sure they are not getting mushy.