Why You Should Make Our Original One-Pot Pasta

Cooking a one-pot meal gives you the best of both worlds—the prep work is easy and the cleanup is quick. Our original One-Pan Pasta recipe has become an internet sensation and for good reason: It's streamlined in everything but taste. The flavors of the finished dish are absolutely sublime. A simple sauce that's big on flavor cooks alongside the pasta in this easy-to-make favorite. If that doesn't entice you to make this delicious one-pan meal, here are four more reasons you should cook this simple pasta dinner soon.

Related: Our Other Delicious One-Pot Pasta Recipes

The sauce is just cherry or grape tomatoes, thinly sliced onion, plenty of garlic, fresh basil, extra-virgin olive oil, and a garnish of Parmesan, but they combine to create a rich flavor. There's culinary magic here: The linguine cooks in water that will ultimately become the sauce—none of the liquid is thrown away. As it reduces, all the lovely starchiness from the pasta transforms the remaining water into a creamy sauce that coats every strand.

This recipe fits so well with our "fewer pans = fewer dishes" strategy. All you need equipment-wise for this pasta dinner is a small paring knife, a straight-sided skillet, and a pair of tongs, which are much easier than a spoon for tossing the pasta in the sauce to coat.

Prep is short, and then you just bring everything to a boil and cook, stirring and turning the pasta frequently (using those tongs!). Dinner is ready in 20 minutes from start to finish.

The recipe is inspired by a pasta one of our editors tried in Puglia, Italy. Cooking the dried pasta in a skillet, not the usual large pot, along with the other ingredients seemed radical, but now we consider this dish one of our "back pocket" recipes. Soon you will, too.

Get the One-Pan Pasta Recipe