Creamy one pot perfect pasta

Creamy but light, packed with veggies and bursting with flavor this one pot perfect pasta recipe is just like the name says, perfect! To be honest my husband’s vote was to name it “Creamy Italian Wonder Soup” but for obvious reasons that didn’t stick. I love Italian food and pretty much any form of pasta, but constant carb loading and heavy sauces don’t scream health food.  

My inspiration for this dish came from a long weekend trip to Boston in which my husband and I explored the city’s North End, chowed down on some super tasty Italian food, and walked away wishing we had better pasta more often.  My goal in creating this dish was to have a super satisfying pasta that I could crave, but one that was also a little lighter in calories and full of nutritious ingredients. But before I delve into the dish here’s my highlights from Boston!

The first day we were there we traveled the Freedom Trail.  My husband teaches history as well as math, and myself being a history nerd, we both enjoyed the trail.  It was just such an interesting juxtaposition of cobblestone streets, 18th-century meeting houses, and modern day subway stations.  Standing in the cradle of democracy, in places were men and women risked their lives for the freedoms I enjoy today was (not to sound cheesy) awe-inspiring.

Sam wanted to check out the Bunker Hill monument, which is across the river at the end of the Freedom Trail.  When we reached the moment, there were signs everywhere informing us that there were 295 stairs to the top. As a pretty healthy eater who recently got back into regular exercise, no biggie I thought.

Well I was wrong.

Oh my word those stairs hurt!

By the time I got to step 150, I was doing some serious self-pep talk to get to the top.  Not to mention that 30 preteen boy scouts were trying to descend at the same time…which meant they were close, very close to me.  As a girl who hates heights and confined spaces, the fact that I made it to the top of that monument was nothing short of a miracle…and a great display of my love for my dear husband.  At the end the view was pretty, I got a mini history lesson from Sam on how the layout of the land helped us win independence, and the descent down the stairs hurt less than the climb.

We wrapped up the evening with dinner in the North End, a very quaint neighborhood bursting with Italian eateries and pastry shops.  The hubby had a hearty portion of spaghetti in meat sauce with a side of meatballs, and I have some a-ma-zing homemade tricolored tortellini in a cream sauce.  We finished the meal with some tiramisu and triple chocolate cake from Modern Pastry.  I kid you not, this was the best chocolate cake I have ever had.  It was dense and moist, fudgey with the perfect ratio of chocolate frosting.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

On day two we bought 24hour Charlie passes (the public transit system) and checked out some places outside of the city like the JFK Museum and Harvard’s campus.  Both were neat to see, and brought unexpected discoveries (did you know that JFK was a WWII vet or that the Harvard Library was built to honor an alumnus who went down with the Titanic?) All in all it was a great trip, full of sunshine. laughs, and waaaaay too much good food (good thing we walked miles and trekked up all those stairs!)

The plane ride home gave me time to jot down some recipe ideas and is where this recipe was originally born.  I love any meal that can be created in one pot, because fewer dishes is always a good thing, not to mention that allowing all the ingredients to cook together brings a new depth of flavor.

How to Make Creamy One Pot Pasta

For this pasta, I used my dutch oven, but a large stock pot would work as well.  To start I browned some ground pork and added rosemary, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and oregano to create sausage like mixture. I did not drain the meat but instead, let the vegetables simmer in the juice that hadn’t cooked off.

Next came the veggies.  Chopped onion, mushrooms, diced tomatoes (cheat and use the canned kind, it’s easier), and spinach. I used fresh mushrooms because I think they have a better texture than canned.  As a side note when washing mushrooms you should never rinse them off, this will cause them to get waterlogged and lose their taste. Instead, whip them off with a damp paper towel or dishcloth.

Finally the chicken broth and noodles are added.  Once those noodles have soaked up the delicious broth, add cream and cheese and this lovely dish is ready to eat!

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Creamy One Pot Perfect Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp rosemary leaves
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 2 15oz cans diced tomatoes
• 10 oz frozen spinach
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/2 lb fettuccini
• 1/2 tsp oragano
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan

Instructions

1. Brown ground sausage in a large stockpot or dutch oven on medium heat.  While the pork is browning add all spices. 

2. Add onion and chopped mushroom to the pot. Once onions are translucent add the 2 cloves of minced garlic. Mix well and cook for 2 minuets on medium. 

3. Drain and rinse the two cans of diced tomatoes add to pot along with: frozen spinach, chicken broth, and pasta.  Make sure the pasta is submerged below the liquid. Increase to high heat to bring to a boil.  Allow to boil until noodles are al dente, and most of the liquid has been reduced, stirring occasionally.  (This will take about 15-20 minutes). 

4. Add half and half and parmesan cheese to pot, mix well. To thicken sauce scoop up a small amount of sauce, add corn starch, mix well and add back to the pasta.  Stir to mix well and then the pasta is ready to serve! 

Enjoy and if you make it and love it please let me know in the comments!

Until we cook again!

~ Chloe M.