You guys know I love simple. Well it doesn’t get any more simple than this: One pot pasta. Yep, all the ingredients in ONE POT. I think I’m in love.
I’m not sure where this idea originated – probably Martha Stewart herself. But I love it. Not that pasta is super complicated anyway, but to create an even smaller mess and save time is a double upgrade if you ask me.
This dish starts with plenty of veggies: Mushrooms, eggplant and fresh parsley. You start by sauteeing your veggies in a big pot or pan and then setting them aside. Next comes the pasta, tomato sauce, garlic, water and seasonings into the SAME POT. Super easy stuff.
Then you literally just bring it to a boil, cover it and let it simmer until the noodles are al dente. All that’s left to do is taste and adjust seasonings and throw the veggies back on. So simple: so good.
This dish is:
Light yet filling
Fresh
Rich with tomato flavor
Full of good-for-you veggies
Vegan (and gluten free optional)
And best of all, EASY
Plus, it’s extremely customizable. Use your pasta of choice, sub in your favorite veggies, throw in fresh herbs, roast your garlic, top with cheese – the options are endless. Enjoy!
- 12 ounces dry pasta*
- 1/2 small eggplant, cubed
- 2 cups cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced and divided
- 1.5 cups vegan marinara sauce
- 2 cup water
- 2 tsp sea salt + more for eggplant
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Optional: Fresh parsley or basil for finishing
- Rinse and dice eggplant into small, bite-sized cubes. Place in a colander in the sink and sprinkle generously with salt to draw out some of the moisture. Wait 20-30 minutes, then rinse and pat thoroughly dry with a towel. Set aside. If you’re short on time, skip the eggplant and double the mushrooms.
- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, the eggplant and 1 clove of minced garlic. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp sea salt and stir. Sautee for 3-5 minutes or until a golden brown color is achieved, then add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes more or until all of the veggies have color. Set aside and cover – you will top the pasta with it.
- To the same saucepan, add the pasta, water, marinara sauce, the remaining cloves of garlic. Start with 1.5 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp black pepper (you will likely add more later depending on the saltiness of your marinara/your personal taste).
- Bring mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer until the pasta is cooked to al dente – will vary depending on kind of pasta – but typically an average of 10 minutes, stirring once or twice so it doesn’t stick to the pan.
- Once cooked, stir and taste to adjust seasonings. I added more salt and fresh herbs at this point.
- Remove from heat and top with eggplant-mushroom mixture and more fresh parsley or basil. Serve immediately. Serves 3-4.
* Use gluten free pasta to keep gluten free.
*Adapted from Martha Stewart.
* Inspired by Vegan Miam.
So, so pretty, Dana! Wow! The recipe AND the photography! pinned
Thanks, Averie! You’re the sweetest. Always appreciate your shares.
So gorgeous! I love the photography, and it sounds amazing! I completely agree, the less washing up, the better!
Thanks, Alessandra!
Holy gorgeous. Who knew pasta could be so pretty? And love this recipe.. so so simple!!
Thanks, Christine! :D
It’s the way some Italian chefs cook pasta, it’s called Pasta Risottata (from Risotto) ^_^
So cool. See? How do I not know things like this? Thanks for sharing!
I know this just because…I’m Italian! :P
OK, now I don’t feel so uneducated :D
This pasta looks awesome! I can’t wait for summer when we have loads of fresh eggplant from our garden – I’m so going to make this!
pinned!
Thanks Abbie! Jealous of what sounds like a dream garden. We’re city dwellers now (sans patio) but maybe one day we’ll have room to plant!
This looks so incredible! One dish and full of vegetables? I’m in.
Thank you, Dana for the lovely mention! I’m so honored that my dish was inspirational! And what a beautiful masterpiece, orecchiette is one of my favorite pasta to use.
Thanks so much for YOUR recipe. It’s stunning!
so many delicious things in ONE pot! YUM!! i can’t wait to try this out soon. it’s perfect for a healthy dish after a busy day.
This one pot business is blowing my MIND! Ok dinner tonight is donezo!
Thanks Abby! Let me know how it goes!
This looks so delicious! Such a fabulous recipe!
this is just what i need..thanks Dana.
I looooove this! Brilliant. I am so making this for dinner!
I love one pot dishes! this looks amazing!
YUM!! pinned! Would you mind telling me what marinara sauce you used? I’m on the lookout for a new one, and I like the looks of yours. – thanx
I don’t have a favorite brand, I usually buy whatever is on sale. That’s usually a brand – like Ragu – that has a no sugar added variety, since some brands can add a ton of sugar to the sauce and it makes your pasta more like dessert than dinner. Hope that helps!
That’s how I feel about jar marinara sauce, too much sugar. I use Lawrys or McCormick’s spaghetti sauce mixes because they aren’t sweet. I would love to make my own sauce.
Lovely idea and sooo easy – love that it’s one pot (hate washing dishes!) I live in Greece where eggplant is a very commonly used veggie, so I’ll give this a go when I get back there soon. I’ll top mine with cheese for sure.
cheese for the win :D
Topping it with cheese will make it “not vegan”.
Unless it’s vegan cheese, e.g., Parma.
I love the idea of cooking the pasta right in a combo of sauce and water – it must infuse everything with a TON of flavor!! It’s not even 8am here, but I could go for a bowl of that business.
Brie, it does yield a lot of flavor but my favorite part is just that it’s so simple – one pot, less mess. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
First of all, Dana, your photography is STUNNING! You really have a gift! I’d expect to see photos like these in Bon Appetit and Food&Wine! Also, I’m definitely trying this recipe. :)
Ugh, consider me head-over-heels flattered. Thanks Molly! Let me know what you think of this recipe!
love this idea and all the veggies!
I have your blog on my RSS reader and when I saw the title my mind read it as “pot pasta”. I guess not too strange given all the recent talk about marijuana legislation. Anyhoo, I love all the photos especially the 2nd one. The pasta shells look like mini-farmers hats, as if a hundred mini farmers threw their straw hats in the air like it was farmer graduation day. I assure you this imagery comes to me not because of “pot”. I have a naturally active imagination.
do you have a recomendation for jarred pasta sauce? i never find one that i like….
I recommended to someone else in the comments that I usually just go for whatever’s on sale! But honestly, the local selections at your local market or store will probably be best (and freshest), so go for those first. Otherwise, look for ones with low sugar, since some can add a ton and oversweeten the sauce. Hope that helps!
Thank you! Perfect for the vegetable loving gluten intolerant one in the relationship (me) and if I add a meatball or two on top it will be perfect for the omnivore (him) too!
I am so glad to have found you again Dana. I followed your first blog and then I thought you had disappeared. Happy to have rediscovered a gem :)
So glad we can reconnect, Amy! You’re the sweetest. I pulled a fast one there and switched to MB in 2012. Glad you found me again!
Ah, what an awesome recipe! A pasta dish in one pot, that’s not overcooked and soggy? That is truly perfection. Thanks for sharing and inspiring!
Hi there! Is there anything I could substitute for the oil? Looks like you said Avocado but that doesn’t make sense to me for sauteeing…. but then again I’m brand new to plant-based diet :) Looks delish though!!
Hi Pam, I don’t see where I recommended subbing an avocado for oil. But if you’re concerned about oil, just leave it out and saute the veggies in a non-stick pan (with non-stick spray if you can).
I made this last night for me and my omni partner. I used a whole small eggplant and a thick hollow noodle (can’t remember the name). Anywho, this was a HIT! She had two bowls! The noodles were great because they carried a lot of sauce and the eggplant was nice and juicy! I will be making this again! Thanks!
So glad you two enjoyed it!
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I’m kind of confused. The sixth step tells us “Remove from heat and top with eggplant-mushroom mixture and more fresh parsley or basil”. Are you just saying to mix the eggplant-mushroom mixture around because it is already in the same pan?
Thanks!!!
Megan, sorry for the confusion! No the veggies are cooked separately in this recipe. They’re pan sauteed and then set aside while the pasta and sauce cook. Then, they are added BACK on top of the pasta and stirred in once it’s fully cooked. Hope that helps!
guess its not really one pot then, is it?
It requires one pot, it has several steps.
I found this on buzzfeed thanks to Facebook and was intrigued. Sadly there is no option for ‘saving’ this recipe to say Zip List, which is a bit disappointing…If you try to print it off, you get all the comments, the lot,about 26 pages including the recipe!! Please rectify this anomaly!!
Keith, sorry we don’t utilize Zip list as we found most of our readers weren’t utilizing it. However, if you click the print button in the recipe box, it should print off for you on one page without the comments. Hope that helps!
You had me at orecchiette! It’s one of my favorite pasta shapes (and the most underrated, in my opinion). This looks delicious—I can’t wait to try it!
I made these a few days ago– made a few changes by substituting the eggplant for broccoli since neither me or the hubs are eggplant fans. I apparently didn’t read the recipe well because I cooked the pasta, mushroom sauté and marinara sauce all at the same time, and I found the pasta to burn easily so I had to turn to heat down a whole lot to fully cook the pasta. I don’t know if it burned easily because of my mistake, but after all was said and done, it was delicious and really easy to make. Thanks once again for such a wonderful, simple, healthy recipe, Dana.
I tagged you on the picture on Instagram. : )
Oh thanks Chi! Sorry you had a few hiccups along the way but it sounds like it all turned out well in the end. Will check out the photo on Instagram!
I made this last night. It was fantastic. I considering adding Parmesan (as I would to most pasta dishes), but it really didn’t need it as the recipe has so much flavor. I’ll definitely make it again.
Yay! Thanks for sharing. Glad you liked it, Ginger!
I made this for meatless Monday but changed out the eggplant and mushrooms for zucchini, onions, and tomatoes so it wasn’t quite the same recipe. However, I love the technique! So simple yet so delicious. Family members who insist on meat with every meal didn’t even care that we didn’t have meat. Definitely a keeper! Thanks!
Hello…the photographs look beautiful! Can’t wait to try out this recipe…How do you make the marinara sauce? I’m new to Italian cooking and if you could help me out with it I’d be really grateful! Thanks! :)
Made this for me and my guy for a quick lunch after a trip to the farmer’s market! We got an assortment of mushrooms that were all different sizes, and with the fresh eggplant it was amazing!!
This dish keeps it so basic and so simple, but it comes out so flavorful! It was light yet filling, just like you said! We opted for some organic bow-tie pasta and Organic Bello’s marinara sauce. It was perfectooo!
I’d definitely make this again :) thanks so much for the recipe!
Lovely! So glad you both enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!
What a coincidence. I’m making a one pot pasta now too that I use. This one looks yummy. I’ll def try this
Your sauce is very good, I advise you to use another type of pasta ?
orecchiette born in Puglia and made a recommendation espeto Italy … I live here
Just made this and I’m eating it as I type. Its my first time cooking with eggplant and it is great, it adds a meaty texture to the pasta! I added green peppers and used organic corn pasta instead. Tastes awesome! It will be one of my new weekly meals, thanks so much for posting!
This is probably a stupid question but won’t adding the water and marinara at the same time really thin out the sauce? This looks amazing and I want to try it!
I just tried making this and sadly it was a disaster. I used gluten free spaghetti made from corn and rice and it clumped badly and never got soft. Had to throw it all out :(
Needed more water because I used a little more eggplant and shrooms but overall this was AMAZING. I added some vegan parmesan on top — ugh! So good!!! And so easy! Thank you!
Great, thanks for sharing, Erin!
This looks fabulous and SO easy :) A pot that size would make at least three meals for me, yet so simple and cheap. Have to go to my local farmers market today so will definitely be picking up ingredients for this. Thanks!! (And gorgeous photos, btw).
So when cooking the pasta in water you add the sauce at the same time? so the pasta cooks in water and the sauce?
yes.
This was sooooooo good! I left out the onion and the garlic and used garlic infused oil and it was still sooo good! Thank you for a great Vegan pasta recipe!
Holy oh my yum. This looks fabulous. I’ve got a guy at home obsessed with all things mushroom, so I know this would be a hit! Thanks!
absolutely delicious. i substituted vegetable broth for the water, used all mushrooms and penne pasta.
love your website and i thank you for your lovely inspiration.
Looks great! Just one thing I wasn’t sure of–did you add fresh parsley at any point during cooking or just at the end before serving. Thanks!
I don’t understand, If I set the pan with the cooked veggies aside, how do I cook the pasta in that pan, and then TOP it with the veggies…. I am not understanding something here…??????
Incredibly delicious is all I can say. I honestly was surprised to be able to create so much flavour with so few ingredients.
I used penne noodles, and found I needed to cook them a bit longer than 10 minutes, and I used basil instead of parsley. Fantastic flavours, and such an easy meal to prepare.
We both had seconds 😃 – outstanding dish – very yummy. Thanks for posting!
This was great! I’m not a fan of mushrooms and I’m not sure if we are eggplant fans so for the veggies I used onion, zucchini and fresh tomato. I also used cilantro for the herb and it was a nice kick!
For those up in arms about the “one pot,” I accomplished this by cooking the veggies in the pot, setting them aside on a plate when done and cooking the pasta in it, then adding them back…Really not that complicated! This is such a versatile recipe…My only gripe is leaving 1/4 of a box of pasta left…What the heck am I supposed to do that with that ?
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it tonight for dinner. Would you recommend subbing some veg broth for water?
You can try it, but I haven’t tested it that way! Good luck!
I am gluten free and really don’t like to use gluten free pasta…. What can I use as an alternative for pasta?
The only word I can think off is – WOW! This is delicious. Thank you for this recepie! :)
Many European nations have one pots, but it’s mainly Italian. It’s so interesting how it became a big hit after Martha Stewart made it.
I made this recently and it was a total success! I altered a few things, I cooked the pasta separately and used fresh instead of dry orecchiette (didn’t clump together at all), added peperoncino (chili powder), and didn’t bother to draw out moisture of the aubergine as I didn’t think it was necessary. Will definitely make again!
Made this recipe last night, added some zucchini with the eggplant and mushrooms. This was INCREDIBLE! Definitely one we will be making again!
I love your recipes and am cooking this one right now, but if you have to use a colander and a bowl to set aside the eggplant while the pasta is cooking, it is no longer a one pot meal. You tricked me!
oh my gosh yes please to everyone of these gorgeous dishes! And love the little slide bar to go to the next recipe, so smooth! Genius. Pinned and can’t wait to make my dinner life easier and healthier with these.