One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

This super easy pasta is all over the blog world and Pinterest lately. It originated with Martha Stewart over the summer and adapted versions have been popping up all over the place ever since. I decided to jump on the bandwagon and give it a try myself, using a version from Apron Strings as my inspiration. It's a perfect weeknight dish because, as the name of the recipe suggests, everything is cooked in one pot. Instead of cooking pasta in water and draining it when done, you allow the pasta to absorb all of the liquid and cook right along with the vegetables added. So quick and easy to make, with very little clean-up!

The cast of characters:

One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
Adapted slightly from Apron Strings

Ingredients:
12 oz. linguine (I had to break it in half to fit in the pot)
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips*
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp red pepper flakes (this definitely gave it a kick - decrease to 1/2 tsp if you don't love spicy food)
2 tsp dried oregano 
15 - 18 basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade (stack the leaves, roll them up, and slice into thin ribbons)
32 oz. carton of chicken broth (regular broth - don't go low sodium with this one)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

*I've julienned a number of other foods before, but never an onion, so I watched this video to learn how.

Directions:
Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Pour in chicken broth. Add the basil, pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.

Here is the "Before" shot:

Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, leaving just a little bit still in the pot to allow for a little bit of sauce. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir the pasta several times to distribute the seasoning and the liquid remaining in the bottom of the pot. 

And here is the "After" shot:

Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Makes four very generous servings or six "regular" size portions. If you want to make this vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.