Name: Martha Stewart's One-Pan Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 ounces linguine; 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large; 1 onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups); 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for garnish; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving; Coarse salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 4 1/2 cups water; Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Test Kitchen-Approved

Author Notes: This pasta cooks entirely in one pan (without boiling water first) and makes its own sauce, all in about 9 minutes. Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart Living (June 2013) —Genius Recipes

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients

12 ounces linguine
12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
1 onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for garnish
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 1/2 cups water
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

In This Recipe

Directions

Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet (the linguine should lay flat).
Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs or a fork, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among 4 bowls, and garnish with basil. Serve with olive oil and Parmesan.

This recipe is a Community Pick!

129 Reviews

Needeasypeasy April 12, 2019

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.

cookinalong April 11, 2019

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?

MrsK April 11, 2019

I once made with penne (whole grain) and it worked perfectly. And if you decide to go for whole wheat, adjust the cooking time, that will be longer, and reduce the amount of water, because whole wheat seems to take less.

cookinalong April 12, 2019

Thanks!

pamela April 7, 2019

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

MrsK April 7, 2019

You will be sorry, indeed, if you don't give this a try. It is absolutely delicious, believe me!

Penny April 4, 2019

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. 😊

tntpop April 7, 2019

Like Nazis we wish you would go away

kathy April 7, 2019

I am always grateful for the clarification, despite too many years of getting it wrong. Friendly (emphasis on) grammar nazi's always welcome here.

Margaret L. April 7, 2019

@kathy in that case, here's a friendly clarification: if there is more than one nazi, it's "nazis." If the thing belongs to a nazi, it's "nazi's." If the thing belongs to more than one nazi, it's "nazis'." So the word you wanted was "nazis." If only Food52 comments could be edited, right?!

Margaret, you have found your mission in life. I salute you. I have not checked you though. It is still open season. XO

@kathy, you're too kind! But rather than my mission in life, "editor" is a job I've done on occasion and as a sideline. It's not even my main super-power! All the best! (Sorry, I don't quite understand your last two sentences.)

Penny April 8, 2019

Gosh, I hope your day improves!

MrsK July 24, 2018

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.

babyboibelcher July 21, 2018

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.

msmely June 14, 2018

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.

Laura L. September 2, 2017

Perfection! Did not change a thing.

Louise B. May 15, 2017

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

Marghet August 31, 2016

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!

anne R. August 18, 2016

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.

glasshalfmd August 9, 2016

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.

karenbamonte August 9, 2016

I cooked it exactly as it is written and also refuse to eat anything but al denote pasta, it has worked perfectly every time. Perhaps the pasta here in Italy is made differently than in the U.S.

I used pasta made in Italy (and cut on copper does) on both occasions. I guess the bottom line is that this recipe doesn't have a high degree of what statisticians would call inter-rater reliability.

Jamie August 9, 2016

I use De Cecco linguine. Maybe the brand makes a difference?

JoAnna August 8, 2016

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!

Jamie July 13, 2016

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.

Jeanette D. June 21, 2016

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.

Shortrib March 29, 2016

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.

Tanya January 17, 2016

Disgusting. .Definitely will not do this again. .

Deisi R. November 21, 2015

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

Marion B. November 7, 2015

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!!

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129 Reviews