I was badgered to try this spaghetti recipe. Nobody actually nagged me, but I had read about it on the Internet so many times that I decided I had to see what all of the talk was about.

We have made this twice and each time it has come out very well. It is hard to believe that all the ingredients can be thrown together crock-pot style and it will taste very good, but it does! The one thing you have to keep in mind is that after you have made it the first time you may want to modify to suit your tastes. Here is one of my recipe tenets:

ALWAYS make the recipe exactly as it is presented the first time.

You need to see how it comes together as the developers intended. After that, modify to your heart’s content, but I generally don’t alter more than one or two ingredients in every iteration just to make sure I know what went wrong if it doesn’t taste as good as the original.

With that in mind, here are the ingredients for Martha Stewart’s one dish pasta meal.[ My notes about ingredients appear in brackets after the item is listed. ]

Ingredients:

• 2 – Cups, thinly sliced onion – [we used one large onion]
• 12 – Ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
• 4 – Garlic cloves, very thinly sliced – [I don’t like to bite into a slice of garlic so we minced our garlic. If you don’t mind the slices, feel free to try it that way.]
• 2 – Sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for garnish – [Using fresh may be a problem for some, but try it that way first. After that, feel free to substitute dry basil, but it probably won’t have the pungent kick that fresh basil tends to provide.(So “What is a sprig?” you might ask. Well it is a stalk or one branch of a basil plant. Use no more than 6 or 7 medium leaves per sprig is my best guess) ]
• 1/2 – tsp red-pepper flakes [or more to taste – we added more]
• 2 – tsp salt
• 1/4 – tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 – Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 12 – Ounces linguine [ Place lying flat in the middle of the pan. The strands can be stacked on top of one another as shown in the video below.]
• 4 1/2 – cups water

For Serving:

• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese [ or your favorite Italian grated cheese ]
• Black Pepper
• Red pepper flakes if desired
• Good quality olive oil

Instructions:

In a large sauté-type pan or pot with sides high enough to hold all the ingredients, combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, salt, teaspoon pepper and the water; bring to a boil uncovered over high heat.

Use tongs to stir pasta frequently as it cooks. When the pasta is al dente and water is almost absorbed it is finished. This should take between nine and twelve minutes. We have a propane gas stove and it always takes a bit longer.

Divide the pasta into separate bowls and use ingredients listed under the “For Serving” to adjust to personal taste.

Some versions of this recipe indicate that this will feed four people, but I don’t think it will feed four average adults if this is the only item for dinner. It is definitely enough for two adults with some left over. It can be stretched to three IMHO, but I don’t suggest four.

You can watch the Martha Stewart’s One Pot Pasta Recipe Video