Martha Stewart's One-Pan Pasta

I tried this recipe last night and read a number of the reviews beforehand. I added a lb of sausage, cut in bite size pieces and sauted until a little brown before adding all the ingredients. The flavor was amazing. I also added some black olives more to add color to the final dish. I will certainly make again as the one pot made for easy clean up.

This was delicious! I made it exactly as written, except cut it in half. I didn't find it to be too starchy as others did. My sauce was silky and light. This is definitely a keeper. One pan and done!

I discovered this recipe a while back on Food52 and it's one of my favorite go-to's when I'm fresh out of ideas. It's EASY, QUICK, and most of the time I have all of the ingredients on hand. Though I usually have chicken broth in my pantry, when I don't, water is absolutely fine. A superb easy, pleasing meal with salad and bread!

The linguine should LIE flat, not lay.

Fabulous, I used chicken broth, which I think always adds additional flavor to just about any dish, especially pasta! Don’t be rigid, but adjust as needed for your taste! I always make my own pasta sauce which I find very easy to adjust into a complete meal by adding a protein! We like shrimp or chicken! Good luck!

I added some red wine and Italian seasoning and left out the pepper flakes. I used 20 oz of cherry tomatoes. I cooked fresh linguine seperatly. It was very good. Love the fresh taste.

Easy and quick to make this delicious meal 😋 Thank you, Martha.

I use this recipe a lot. However, I adjusted the recipe to use 16 oz. of pasta, 6 cloves of garlic, 16 oz. cherry tomatoes cut in half and 6 1/2 cups of water along with all the other ingredients. It is not starchy and makes a great sauce. I also sometimes add peas and/or shrimp.

This is an effective and quick way to make pasta for all ages and people. If it’s too starchy, separate the pasta and strain it, but for our family- it is nice to have one dish to clean and everyone loved it!! Thank you!

Tried this recipe last night and it worked very well! My family loves it! I adjusted some ingredients in the recipes by replacement around half of the water with larger beer, which gave pasta a subtle flavor of beer, and add canned tuna steak to have a meaty / umami flavor. Since I've never taste it before, I assumed and adjusted profile to be salty > spicy > slightly sour from tomato. This recipe will surely make a return to my dining plate :)

Not for me! I find it quicker to cook the pasta separately whilst concentrating on making the sauce. The cooking time says 9 minutes in the recipe, but underneath it says 20 mins.

I used 16oz pasta as most recipes call for that amount and I hate having 4oz left over that ends up getting tossed. Added an extra half cup of water and it was fine. Next time I'll add 4oz more tomatoes too. I had no issue with the starch as it did what it was supposed to - thicken the sauce. But I do want to try it with broth instead of water, too; either Better than Bouillon chicken or garlic flavor sounds like it would be good.

Excellent and easy. Now that it’s tomato corn season, I added a cup of fresh corn kernels cut off the cob. Although others have complained about the starch, I find the pasta starch adds body to the sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly and not over done. We ate this as a vegetarian meal but it would be a fine accompaniment to fish, meat, or fowl.

I'm with you, Lindalilly. Too starchy, but the veggie part is great. Just cook the pasta separately, which of course negates the idea of fewer pans to clean, but the result is worth it.

I have tried this recipe three times and just can’t get on board with it. The pasta emits too much starch into the dish which seems to distract from the flavour. I know friends have had more success with it but I’ll have to pass on this recipe.

Nice! I dumped the evoo in the pan and tossed in the garlic, then the onion and let that sizzle for minute or two. Added a tbsp of butter and maybe 1/4 heavy cream about half way through. Family was skeptical, but it all got eaten. Next time… some grilled Italian sausage on top or even better, shrimp.

Glad I tried this method, as I was curious. Appreciate the recipe! Bottom line: having fewer pans to clean was nice, and I loved not having to wash a colander -- a fabulous advantage in some situations, such as right after a long day -- but I didn't care for the resulting starchiness of the pasta despite my best effort. I probably won't make it again. Personal taste. I suggest: (1) Use a large pan of the type illustrated, not a pot. This recipe relies on evaporation and some reduction. (2) Use enough liquid to cover, plus a bit, rather than slavishly following the quantity listed. (3) For better flavor, use broth, beer, etc. rather than plain water; adapt and crank up seasonings to your taste; and throw in a few more lipids, e.g. some butter at the end. (4) Monitor carefully, perhaps using a spatula to keep pasta off the bottom and definitely tongs once the linguini is nearly cooked -- but to avoid stickiness, do NOT overmanipulate. There's a reason we don't stir pasta while it boils conventionally, right? The same physics and chemistry apply here, but are harder to placate in this shallow-pan setup.

PS: Heavens, no, dear fellow reviewers, what makes anyone imagine that gluten-free pasta would be a natural choice for this recipe? Gluten is what holds together traditional pasta and gives it a wee bit of stretch. I predict a soggy mess with GF product, but if someone has advice on technique, do share. Also, in terms of pasta shape, I suspect linguini is called for here because it has the best chance of laying flat under the liquid and other ingredients, so that it may boil properly. Finally, rather than following the recipe's suggested cooking time to a tee and then being disappointed, it may help to pay attention to the pasta itself and recognize it may take a bit longer than the time range on the box, because here we are not boiling in copious water, but a broth with veggies.

PPS: Note that the recipe does not call for an entire pound (16 oz) of linguini, which most boxes contain, but 12 ounces. That corresponds to the amount of fresh cherry tomatoes called for.

Glad I tried this method, as I was curious. Appreciate the recipe! Bottom line: having fewer pans to clean was nice, and I loved not having to wash a colander -- a fabulous advantage in some situations, such as right after a long day -- but I didn't care for the resulting starchiness of the pasta despite my best effort. I probably won't make it again. Personal taste. I suggest: (1) Use a large pan of the type illustrated, not a pot. This recipe relies on evaporation and some reduction. (2) Use enough liquid to cover, plus a bit, rather than slavishly following the quantity listed. (3) For better flavor, use broth, beer, etc. rather than plain water; adapt and crank up seasonings to your taste; and throw in a few more lipids, e.g. some butter at the end. (4) Monitor carefully, perhaps using a spatula to keep pasta off the bottom and definitely tongs once the linguini is nearly cooked -- but to avoid stickiness, do NOT overmanipulate. There's a reason we don't stir pasta while it boils conventionally, right? The same physics and chemistry apply here, but are harder to placate in this shallow-pan setup.

PS: Heavens, no, dear fellow reviewers, what makes anyone imagine that gluten-free pasta would be a natural choice for this recipe? Gluten is what holds together traditional pasta and gives it a wee bit of stretch. I predict a soggy mess with GF product, but if someone has advice on technique, do share. Also, in terms of pasta shape, I suspect linguini is called for here because it has the best chance of laying flat under the liquid and other ingredients, so that it may boil properly. Finally, rather than following the recipe's suggested cooking time to a tee and then being disappointed, it may help to pay attention to the pasta itself and recognize it may take a bit longer than the time range on the box, because here we are not boiling in copious water, but a broth with veggies.

I'm reviewing this for a second time because this past weekend, I cooked this recipe over a campfire in a Lodge Cook-It-All cast iron pot. As when I cooked it at home, it came out wonderfully. I chopped the onion and garlic and put it in a ziplock bag before we left for camping. It was so easy to throw together once we had the fire going. I'm always stunned by the negative comments. Yes, I did have to cook it a tad longer than expected, but you pull a piece of pasta out, check it, and adjust accordingly. This recipe is a camper's best friend!

I won’t make this again. In order to achieve any taste I had to drain and reduce and fiddle and taste and fuss endlessly.. too much water for starters. The old way is faster and more foolproof. I do love the lemon pasta for one and think that using larger quanties of ingredients makes for a muted, overcooked dish.

I understand the mix of positive and negative reviews here as this is one that either really works or really doesn't, and the factors that make it work or not can be a bit imprecise (you have to have exactly the right amount of all the ingredients and sometimes it's hard to tell--I'm blessed with a local supermarket that sells tomatoes in labelled 6oz packages lol) but this recipe will always have a special place in my heart because it's what I make when I have no energy but want to get back to Real Food. The colors and the scents of the fresh ingredients make me happy and the simple flavors are comforting, and I think pasta helps your brain produce serotonin or something? All I know is I make this and I feel better, and I hope other people do too.

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Eating this now and loving it--great way to use up CSA cherry tomatoes. I think maybe the recipe calls for too much water--it had not evaporated by the time the pasta was cooked. Perhaps this accounts for reviewers saying it turned out mushy? Next time I will try starting with 4 cups water instead of 4.5 and go from there.

This is so bland... the only thing that adds flavor is the grated cheese at the end. Boiling onions and garlic takes all the taste from them. Quick, easy, not worth it.

I tried it and it’s bit one note and bland. I sautéed red miso and vegan butter, then added the rest of the ingredients. It was Luscious and rich and didn’t need any Parmesan. This recipe lends itself to variation.

I have made this several times now. My family and I love it for the fresh taste and I especially love how quick it is to make! I don’t understand any of the negative comments. Why is everyone a critic?

Seems great, but I am not a fan of overly starchy things...for me, (and my taste only, no need to get upset) pre-cook the pasta to just before al dente and then let it finish in the pan (without all that water added of course.)

Do not try this recipe with gluten free noodles. It turns to mush.

This was such a quick and easy pasta! I used half chicken broth to add flavor. Amazing how this all came together.

I just tried it & I like it. Easy, delicious and efficient. Thank you for this recipe

I'm thinking this would work just as well with gluten free pasta, has anybody tried it?

I tried this again because I was in a hurry, and this time I pulsed the tomatoes in the processor a couple of times. Also added a small can of tomato sauce, and it was much better. The linguini was a little mushy as one reviewer said, but not too bad. It lends itself to a lot of variations, and is easy to throw together, so I'll probably do it again. Maybe with macaroni instead of linguini next time, easier to pick up.

Lovely recipe which allows lots of ways to personalise and make it your own. I took the advice of others and sauteed my onions and garlic first. I also added some tomato paste before adding my pasta as well as chili flakes. I ended up using all of the water and a bit more but I guess that depends on the make of pasta. It took a bit longer to cook but again that is to taste and the pasta itself. All in all a great recipe and a quick midweek meal.

While I liked the simplicity of the dish, I found the end result gummy and most likely won’t make it again.

I've made this recipe and various renditions of it many times. It's excellent and so so easy. A very tasty, simple meal to prepare that definitely has great texture and flavor. Big fan!

I made this dish and liked the spice I also added sliced Kalamata and Spanish olives with pimiento as I prefer not to eat cheese and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was creamy and delicious, so much so that I made it again for company tonight and they said they’d make it.

We like a real tomato-y sauce and this just didn't do it. I cut the tomatoes in half and used a whole box of them, but they just didn't cook up. So I added some tomato paste and even a few squirts of ketchup for sweetness, and it was OK. Also added some frozen meatballs. I will agree it's quick if I don't want to spend hours cooking sauce, but it took a lot more than 9 minutes to use up all the water and the linguini was kind of mushy. Oh well, it was worth a try but I don't think I'll be making it again.

just great!

I made this tonight for the first time and it was absolutely wonderful, with one small exception — 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes makes this a very spicy dish, not only for me (who doesn’t particularly care for spicy) but even for my husband who loves spicy food. But we both thoroughly enjoyed it and I will be making it again very soon, this time with a bit less red pepper flakes. It is a great dish!

I made this exactly as written plus a little oregano because my basil was sad and it was delicious! Even my crazy picky toddler ate it! I think the pan size/style is imports to make sure the water/sauce boils down appropriately.

I've made this twice and like it a lot. Last time I added more cherry tomatoes and I sauteed the onions and garlic before adding the other ingredients. Both times I made it, I had a lot of leftover liquid in the pot when the spaghetti was cooked. I reduced the amount to about 3 1/2 cups last time and it was still kind of soupy. Has anyone else had this issue?

This is such a great recipe to just have fun with! I didn’t follow the instructions exactly, adding shrimp and spinach as I read in other reviews. I also used the cork screw pasta (I don’t know the name- I’m such a child) and it worked great with the lighter sauce. I enjoyed every aspect of this dish- from collecting veggies from my garden to improvising on the fly, and finally dinner. Thank you so much for this! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did!

Made this recipe this morning. Substituted in Penne and chicken stock. Everything else the same. Absolutely amazing and delicious pasta dish, and all made in one pan (a 3-quart rounded-side, non-stick, hybrid-looking pot/pan). Sauce was slightly creamy from the pasta starch, the onions were soft, and the pasta al dente. Four servings? Sounds like one serving to me. :-D BTW, I'm not a big Martha Stewart fan, but I can't say "no" to trying her pasta recipes, especially when they're this simple.

OK friends...breathe☁ it will be ok😊

I wouldn't eat a thing this dirtbag recommends

Would have been helpful to know the size pan used. I attempted to make the recipe but had a lot of spillover and because the pan, similar to theirs, was too small I had pasta stick to the bottom of the pan. What a mess!!! This is an excellent master recipe that can be changed up in many ways. Next time I'll use my pasta pot to eliminate the waste and mess :(

I used frozen tortellini and I also used shallots. Tasted great. Really easy.

Very disappointing. Onion and pepper flakes overpowered this dish to my taste, and I cut back on the onions. Thankfully I waited until late to put in the tomatoes as others recommended, and I put the fresh basil on when it was plated. Always fun to try new recipes though, and they all can’t be winners to everyone.

I make this often. It’s a great recipe for RVers with it’s one pot. I made this last night for the two of us and there is quite a bit left over. I reheat it in my steam oven to serve the second night. Today I plan to sauté spinach and garlic in olive oil to toss in for a bit of a twist. I will top it off with grilled shrimp and a sprinkle of capers. Also.....there can never be too much basil!

For anyone out there considering trying this with Banza (GF chickpea pasta), DON'T DO IT. This probably turns out lovely with regular pasta but the Banza was a disaster from the minute the dry pasta was combined with the water. I think if the water was brought to a boil before adding the pasta, it may have been less terrible but I am too scarred to attempt this. With the recipe as written, the Banza clumped up immediately and did not become unclumped no matter how much I stirred or how rigorously it was boiled once it finally reached a boil. Like I said, no reflection on the recipe, just a warning and thoughts for anyone thinking they might want to try with an alt pasta.

This was not only tasty but quick and easy. I cooked the onions first in oil, added all ingredients except the tomatoes and basil. When the pasta was nearly done, added tomatoes and basil. I also added a previously roasted shredded chicken (about 2 cups) and it was a great meal that my son ate for 3 days and asked me to make it again. Next time I will omit that 1/2 cup of water as there was just a bit too much liquid, especially if I hadn't added chicken. I thought the salt sounded like too much, but it was perfect with the chicken.

Simple and really good. I cooked the onions first until tender and added the tomatoes when pasta was almost done. Next time I'll omit that 1/2 C water as it was a bit too much liquid.

I've wanted to try this for some time. My grandkids love pasta and cherry tomatoes, so this seems like a winner. However, they are at the age when spaghetti and linguine are a challenge to handle, so I wonder if penne or bowties would work as well? Anyone tried it with other types of pasta?

I'm sorry.. but 'boiled' onions is just NOT appealing!

The linguine should LIE flat. The cook LAYS the linguine in the pot, so that it LIES flat. There is a difference. You’re welcome! Your friendly grammar Nazi. 😊

I made this recipe several times. I always use chicken broth instead of water and it comes out simply delicious. I also use whole wheat pasta and a bit less liquid. Simply perfect.

Made this last night for some guests. Used a ratio of half chicken broth/water and added some prosciutto. Paired it with some honey white wine. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal.

Made this this afternoon with a 13.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes and dried basil. I feel like I could have turned the pot down a bit as without constant stirring on high it'll definitely stick even if you babysit it. I only used 1tsp of salt as my can of tomatoes had a bit of salt in it.

Perfection! Did not change a thing.

Have made this 4 times, last time added chopped roasted red peppers and tomatoes. Added grated assiago cheese, and shrimp. Absolutely delicious.

Just made this and it was so good and easy! After reading the comments, I also put in 4 cups of water, but for us the noodles were really al dente so I let it hang out a little longer. Also, I sauteed the onions and garlic until they were soft before adding the rest of the ingredients. It was great! Love spicy so I added more red pepper flakes than it called for. Will make again!

I made this last night after reading several comments below. I used Safeway brand pasta (don't judge me) with 4 cups of water - not 4.5. I kept it on a hardy boil and kept stirring the pasta so it would not stick to the pot. It came out great. I transferred it to a waiting bowl pretty quick to slow the cooking.

I decided to try this recipe again after finding it very flawed when I first made it two years ago. Once again, the liquid did not cook down fast enough (despite using a broad skillet and a powerful burner), so in order to save the pasta from overcooking I had to lift it all out of the sauce after 8 or 9 minutes- at which point it was perfectly al dente- and add it back to the properly reduced sauce 6 or so minutes later. I wonder whether many who love this recipe have a higher tolerance of soft pasta than I do. I can imagine this might work with about 2.5 cups of water.

I made this tonight with tomatoes that were picked this morning. I didn't have an onion, so I omitted that, and I used whole wheat spaghetti instead of linguine. Garnished with some pecorino. Wow. I will be making this a lot for the rest of the summer!

Love the simplicity of this recipe. I add 1/2 c Parmesan at the end off heat. Don't over cook the pasta. Check the pasta at 8 minutes for al dente. I haven't gone beyond 9" and it's perfect every time.

I've made this three times now, and it has been fantastic each time. I even used spaghetti and it came out fine. I do add a dollop of tomato paste at the beginning, and then just a bit of heavy cream at the end. If you let it sit for a few minutes off the heat, the sauce thickens up quite nicely.

I'm with the gooey crowd on this one. It's got a very different consistency from the standard pasta plus sauce method. Apparently you love it or you don't. Interesting experiment but I won't make it again.

Disgusting. .Definitely will not do this again. .

Nothing to eat at home and no desire to leave the house. I remembered this episode and realized we had the ingredients. I told my fiancé and he did not believe one could cook pasta like that. It was simply AMAZING and now we can't stop talking about it! Thanks a million! Deisi and Greg

This is a great recipe. In my opinion, the most important thing is to cook the pasta at a robust boil so the water will evaporate appropriately but still be enough to turn into a creamy sauce. To give it a flavor boost, I lightly rub the pan with olive oil, heat it for a minute or two, and then place 3 slices of prosciutto in the pan and cook it for 5 minutes or so until mostly crispy. Remove the prosciutto from the pan, drain on a paper towel and crumble. Add the other ingredients and follow the recipe EXCEPT reduce the salt to at least half of what's called for (partially to compensate for the saltiness of the prosciutto and partially because the amount of salt called for in the original recipe is too much). When plating, sprinkle the prosciutto over the pasta along with the basil, parmesan, and olive oil. Delish!!

What others call creamy, I call "starchy disgusting mess."

Disgusting. Everything stuck to the bottom of the pan like crazy, and the tomatoes were dead long before the pasta was done

I made this for dinner last night and thought it was great -- it was very silky. I'd be interested in trying to add a pat of butter to the finished dish next time to amp up the silkiness even further.

What type of onion? White, yellow, red... does it matter?

I am very picky about al dente pasta and don't like the idea of one pot pasta dishes as I fear over cooking but this looks delicious. : )

I made this today...AHHHHH-MAZING! came out a wee bit creamy and perfectly al dente. Clams or shrimp along with a splash of White wine would be an awesome addition. This is going in my repertoire for sure

Just made this and it was delicious. I used bucatini instead of linguine since that was what they had at the only store in my neighbourhood that was open on Labour Day. Next time I'll reduce the water to 4 cups. The sauce was still pretty soupy when the pasta was done, so I took the pasta out with tongs, reduced the liquid for a few more minutes, and then added the pasta back in. That worked well but wasn't ideal.

I can see this being a good base recipe to tweak in the future with extra veggies, capers, etc. I'll definitely be making this again.

Made this last night and it was a HUGE hit! I threw in some capers, manchego rind, and white wine too-- amazing!

I forgot to say I had some fresh feta on hand and used that to top it off. Yum.

Wow this is great! Even my six year old had seconds, and he usually picks out every onion he can see. I'm happy to say that he didn't even look for them today, just ate the whole thing and asked for more. I will absolutely be putting this in regular rotation. Thank you!

Eating my leftovers with an olive-oiled fried egg on it -- heaven!!

The flavor was fantastic. It took a little longer to cook forf me. The big question is the calories in all the starch from the pasta???
I used butternut squash linguini and sautéed shrimp.

I added a partially defrosted 1 lb. package of fully cooked and cleaned farm raised mussels (product of Chile) to the pan during the last 5 minutes of cooking time, i.e. after it had returned to the boil. Very delicious and resulted in a little extra broth which was enjoyed with a spoon at the end. Because there were just two of us, I changed the amount of pasta to 1/2 lb linguini in 3 cups water.

Used this basic recipe (just got home from vacation and did not want to cook) to use up some chicken stock -- threw that and some linguini, red pepper, sliced garlic, and salt/pepper into the pan. Had to add water during cooking, and added parsley/parm off the heat.

Consider me a convert.

I have been making this recipe since it was published in Martha Stewart's magazine over a year ago. It is a huge hit in my house, so I'm not surprised that it has caught on and gone viral on the web. We alter it a bit, adding spinach, bacon, capers and other tidbits that are available from time to time. My daughter and her friends actually request it, so it is a super quick and easy crowd pleaser.

Just made this. Only had fusilli but it was still delicious!
I used 2/3 of the box and started with ~3.5 cups of water. Added another cup towards the end when things were getting dry. Husband can't deal with spicy hot stuff so I cut down on the red pepper flakes and just added them on top of my serving. I had a parmesan rind in the fridge so threw that in. I added my cherry tomatoes half way through (they were very small and sweet) and next time I think I'll add half of them half way through cooking and the other half just a minute from the end.
Added a big sprig of basil at the beginning and then fished it out and added a big handful of fresh basil at the end. I was skeptical about 2/3 of the way through but kept tasting the pasta until it was done and it all turned out rather fabulous.

Be sure to use linguini--pay attention while it cooks--then it's amazing! I even forgot to put oil in and it was great. (Not recommending omission of oil--just reporting on results.)

Holy spicy, batman! I was surprised no one had commented on this...I double checked and put the right amount of red pepper flakes in but even my guests had a hard time eating it! Next time I'll use a bit less water and half as much red pepper flakes.

The first time I made this it was amazing. This time it was nearly a disaster. Only half of the water had been absorbed by the 15 minute mark and the pasta was on its way to overcooking. I realize that the fatal error may have been not cooking it in a shallow pan rather in a dutch oven. I drained out the pasta and cooked down the water-pretty decent result but not the wow factor of the first time. I will use the correct pan next time and report back. I wonder if the recipe also suggests not a full pound because it wouldn't fit in a low skillet.

Tried this and it was, as promised, a genius recipe! Delicious!

Made this last night. Used regular tomatoes that I peeled before hand. Added a little prosciutto. I has some left over sauteed garlicky spinach that I threw in at the end. It was very good. I had leftovers for lunch and it was still good. I was skeptical but now I know that it is a very good recipe. Not gooey at all.

I made this dish and it was so gluey and inedible. This is not a genius recipe.

Made last night. No-brainer delish. Reduced water by about 1/2 cup. Will definitely make again--maybe with shrimp?

The recipe looks simple and delicious, and I love that it's one pot. I'm wondering why the recipe hasn't been converted to using a pound of pasta, since that's how it's packaged most often. I don't relish the thought of storing 1/4 pound of leftover uncooked pasta. I've done the math and I'm going to try it with a full pound of pasta. Fingers crossed!

What a great recipe! I can't believe it all cooked together so nicely! I admit I was dubious. Now I think I've found a new camping dinner as well!! Yummy and husband approved! :)

Yes, I have always cooked Ed Giobbi's Linguine with Broccoli (since the '70's!) It is always great! Perfect recipe.

I first learned how to cook a similar recipe "spaghettini with Broccoletti Di Rabe" from Edward Giobbi's "Eat Right Eat Well-the Italian Way," in which he charmingly describes how he learned it from a homesick for Naples fellow passenger on a half-empty train in Germany, 1971. His version includes chopped garlic, hot pepper flakes, olive oil, a cup of water, 3/4 pound spaghetti broken into 2" lengths and8 cups of broccoli rape or regular broccoli also cut into 2" pieces. Instructions: Saute garlic and hot pepper; as soon as they color add the water. When it comes to a boil add the spaghettini and a pinch of salt. When the water returns to a boil add the broccoli. Stir often as it cooks adding more water if and as needed. Cook until pasta is tender, about 10-12 minutes. When cooked, all the water should be incorporated into sauce.
When explaining to Giobbi how it was prepared, the fellow passenger exclaimed in a poetic Napolito dialect, "It's so good it hurts."
I have cooked it often, sometimes adding tomatoes and anchovies to the mix. "It's so good it hurts."

Can't wait to try this!

Any recommendations about adding shrimp to this recipe?

Would it be ok to saute the tomatoes, garlic and onion first?

Great, and so easy! I made it as is, except substituted some pesto as I lacked fresh basil. Excellent and flavorful! My husband was extremely skeptical watching me cooking it, and then loved it. A keeper.

I made this twice, first time with regular spaghetti and 2nd time with gluten free quinoa/corn pasta. With the regular spaghetti it came out completely perfect. Both flavor and texture were wonderful. With the GF pasta, it became a pile of polenta-ey mush. Big mistake. Still tasty tho! I learned my lesson! Will make this recipe as written 1,000 times more.

I love this recipe. I used just regular store bough, nothing fancy linguine. I just make it for myself, so I use 2-3 oz of pasta and one cup of water. I use butter instead of OO. I think tonight will be my fifth time and I have had zero sticking or gluey problems. There is something so cool about using one pot.

I just made this. I didn't need four servings, so I cut the recipe in half except for the red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese, which gave it a very zippy flavor.

I didn't have cherry tomatoes, so I used two medium plum tomatoes sliced in small chunks the size of cherries. I used DeCecco Spaghetti instead of linguini. Mine didn't turn out gluey. Maybe the quality of the pasta makes a difference. I'm very happy with how mine turned out.

I made this using quinoa linguine & didn't rinse the linguine. The result was far too much gluten. It really was like others stated "gluey". We ate it but doubt I try it again. Freshly cooked pasta with fresh veggies is much more appealing. Also there wasn't enough jazz to the herbs & spices.

This came out gluey for me but I'm willing to accept that won't happen to everyone. I would try it again. I would change something next time: sautée the onions in the oil till beginning to brown then add all the other ingredients. I like the idea of using some chicken broth to replace some if the water as long as it's a fresh tasting broth. Some pasta glued itself to the bottom of the pan. That won't be an easy cleanup.

I assumed I was being punked by Martha Stewart. Gluey, sodden, and it will take me a week to wash the pan. Fail, dismally, despite following directions. First bad Food52 recipe.

Tried this with farro (one cup and 3 cups of water) instead of pasta, and it was incredibly delicious and creamy, almost like a risotto.

Ok - this is a game changer... Used whole wheat ziti and some chicken broth and white wine in the simmering broth. We had good amount of broccoli from the garden which I nuked with some water, garlic, olive oil, s&p. I tossed that in with the pasta. Really delicious. This will make cooking week night pasta a lot more appealing - not to mention hot weather pasta in my non-AC farm kitchen!

This was delicious and I will certainly be making it again with a little variation. I used chicken stock and I did have to add a bit more liquid, white wine and a little water. Topped it with fresh parsley and parmesan. This is a keeper.

This was great. It was a little wetter than I anticipated, but the starchiness combined with the grated parmesan to make a thick, creamy sauce. Will be added to the weeknight rotation. Thanks!

Delicious! The pasta was cooked perfectly (al dente) and I really liked the sweetness provided by the onions. I used cherry tomatoes from the CSA, my own basil and linguine. Will absolutely make it again!

This was amazing!! I used peggyg's recommendation and used chicken stock instead of water and added heavy cream and more basil towards the end. Great meal -- might top with a little pancetta next time.

I find it fascinating that this simple recipe has caused so much uproar. I have now made it three times and it has been utterly perfect each time - I have varied the additional ingredients like zucchini etc. The main problem seems to be with the amount of water. I would suggest the following: begin with a bit less water than prescribed, when you see the pasta needing more, add just a bit but make sure it is boiling water so it doesn't cool down what is already cooking. Know your ingredients, the cooking time of your pasta and add them in a timely fashion. While the recipe is perfect for the ingredients written, if you want to add mushrooms, peas or zucchini, consider the amount of time they need to cook. Today I stirred in a tablespoon of cream and it was divine, always make sure to add extra herbs completely fresh at the very end. I honestly don't see what the problem is, this is about the easiest recipe I've ever made. AND you don't have that starcy colander and pasta pot to wash up at the end. I am sure that Marcella Hazan would be shaking hands with Martha Stewart at this point in time. Good luck to all and be adventurous!

This is way more work than cooking the pasta and sauce separately. Sooner than standing and stirring and trying to keep the pasta submerged I'd much rather put 2 pans on the stove and come back in 10mins.

I hesitated to make this because of the half great/half scathing reviews. It turned out really well...BUT I did have to adjust (i.e. remove some of) the water toward the end of my cooking time, otherwise it would not have been to my liking (would have been soggy). I also reduced salt to about 1.5tsp and the crushed pepper by just a little. We loved it and will make it again.

There's a great one I saw in food and wine by not without salt that is similarly good--leeks in that case. I have made this before and it's so nice and easy, makes me almost want to be fancy and do a pasta course before a the main course even for a regular dinner at home!

this recipe is GENIUS. i had no problems with the water ratio. I'd make it exactly as written. the sauce is silky and delicious. what an easy summer meal--with no clean up!

I weighed 6 oz of regular macaroni, 6 oz grape tomatoes, cut everything else in half except the fresh basil (I doubled), cooked in a cast iron skillet with tight fitting cover, and it came out wonderfully. I tossed the ingredients a few times as the water boiled and removed from heat and covered just as the water was mostly gone. The sauce was silky and flavorful, and the pasta perfectly cooked.

I didn't have linguine, so used farfalle - worked beautifully. I used chicken stock instead of water, but kept everything else the same. It took longer than 9 minutes (maybe twice as long) for the liquid to boil away, but the pasta was cooked perfectly. I stirred in a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream at the end along with a big handful of fresh basil chiffonade. It was just delicious - I highly recommend this. I think I will add some cooked chicken next time...

I made this with whole wheat rigatoni, and made a quarter of the recipe and it turned out great! I was a bit concerned that the ww pasta wouldn't cook in time, but it was perfect in 10mins. I found the spiciness a bit too much for my taste, so next time I'll reduce the red pepper flakes, or leave them out completely. With training for a half-marathon, this recipe will definitely become a regular.

This didn't work for me- despite using a 12" skillet and high heat, the liquid did not evaporate fast enough, and in order to save the pasta from overcooking, I had to pull it all out with tongs and and then wait for the liquid to boil off before adding the pasta back briefly. This is a perfect recipe if you're fortunate with the proportions, but that's precisely why it's flawed: a good pasta dish depends entirely upon well-cooked pasta, and in order to guarantee that, you need to be cook pasta until it is done, not until the ingredients around it are.

I love this idea but wonder if there are similar easy one-pot recipes with alternate starches/grains ... rice or cous cous etc.

What would be a good starting amt for water if I use only 6 oz of pasta? We're only 2 and small eaters.

DO NOT use gluten-free pasta. It is way too starchy and turns into a gelatinous mess!!!!!

This is one of those recipes that is intended more as a general guideline that you can use as a jumping-off point. So, if you want to cook 16 oz. of pasta, instead of 12 oz., add a bit more water. You're going to be monitoring it as it cooks, tossing the pasta, so you can add water or even some kind of stock as needed.

Dry versus fresh pasta. The starchy surface of pasta allows sauce to cling to it. That's why it's recommended to save and add back a cup or so of pasta water in other recipes where the pasta is cooked separately in a pot of boiling water. Cooking the pasta and sauce separately is fine, but defeats the purpose of only dirtying one pan and keeping everything really simple. Since the pasta doesn't cook as vigorously in this method, there isn't as much starch released into the sauce. I honestly don't think fresh pasta will give the same end result since it requires much less cooking, but it's worth a try. Report back to us. Different pastas that may require a couple minutes more cooking are fine, just cook this until it reaches your desired level of doneness.

Personally, I would only add any meat, already cooked, to this until 1-2 minutes before serving. Since it is summer and we have an abundance of flavorful tomatoes and fresh basil and parsley, my inclination is to prepare this in a way to feature these summery flavors. Torn prosciutto would be a wonderful last minute addition, as would fresh ricotta in a dollop on each serving.

But, at the end of the day, this recipe is about an easy-peasy, infinitely adaptable, no-fail recipe. Have fun!

There is no linguine in the pantry, but plenty of spaghetti. Can you use spaghetti which has a 12 min. cook time, or bucatini which has an 11 min. cook time? Would the amount of water need to be increased?

Even on my laziest days, I can manage this one.

I made this with 16 ounces of penne pasta. I tried using 6 C. of water, which was a little too much; I'll try 5 1/2 next time. I also learned that increasing the salt was not necessary. I added some cooked Italian sausage and made it in a larger saucepan instead of a skillet. It was a little watery and a little salty due to my adjustments, but it was still delicious. I'm going to keep using this one until I find the perfect proportions.

Kris, I don't see why it would not be alright to consume starch. I think dry pasta is more "starchy" though but I am not sure. Also, maybe it is good not to rinse the pasta because the starch in it probably helps thicken the water, which I am thinking is a good thing. But I am not expert.

Is it alright to consume the starch from the pasta? If it is fresh pasta, I would not be concerned but if we are buying store bought pasta, there is a considerable amount of starch. Is there a particular brand/type that I should buy?

Cook the pasta as directed on box, cook other ingredients ,minus water, season to taste with salt and pepper and other herbs of choice, then add cooked pasta. very tasty !!!!

Karenbamonte, I guess I will have to tighten my tummy LOL; I confess I can alone eat way more than the servings on the boxes. Sigh!

If you take the ratio of 16 oz to 12 oz which is 1 1/3 of original amounts, here are the adjusted quantities: 16 oz or 1 pound pasta, 16 oz tomato cherries (but I am thinking that using original amount is fine too), 1 1/3 onion (but I am thinking that using original amount of one onion should be fine too), 5 cloves garlic, 2/3 tsp red pepper flakes, 2 to 3 sprigs basil, 6 cups water, 2 2/3 tsp salt, 1/3 tsp black pepper.

I just made this recipe and made 1/4 pound of pasta, it is a very good recipe and doesn't take much thought to add a little water if you see that it is getting too dry. I believe that 12 oz. of pasta feeds 4 people. I live in Europe so am working with grams and I always weigh, takes 2 seconds. If I have one small criticism it would be that it tastes a bit too starchy. But it is a great recipe and one that I will play with. I am missing a bit of depth so will try adding an anchovy to the mix next time. Definitely garnish with more torn herbs as it always add a nice brightening tone at the end. I am amazed that I like this recipe but I do.

It would have been nice if the recipe also provide the amount of water needed for 16 ounces of pasta

Luvtocook, I myself, but maybe I am just greedy LOL, find that a box of pasta (usually 16 or or 1 lb in the United States) cannot serve more than 4 people with a good appetite, or maybe no more than 6 with a smaller appetite. But, hey, maybe I am just a big eater. D)

Doesn't 12 ounces of pasta serve 6 people? Pasta boxes say a single serving is 2 ounces.

Wondering if this method works well with gluten-free pasta, e.g. TJ's corn pasta?

Can this recipe be halved? Does the ratio stay the same?

I love this method! In fact, I have a date with my 10 year old daughter this weekend to teach her how to make it. It is so much more manageable for small cooks to eliminate the need to lug a giant pot of water between the sink and stove.

Looks good. Only thing is that since most pasta is sold as 16 oz instead of 12 (at least in the US) and I may be too lazy to weigh or figure out how much is 12 oz, I may adjust amounts of ingredients.