Here’s a super easy, healthy dinner recipe for you: Easy One Pot Caprese Pasta
One pot meals are the absolute best! They are so easy and convenient to make (the clean-up is YAY), and they’re low stress too. Who wants to cook a dinner that uses three pots?? I do that once in a while for sure, but on busy days I want EASY.
This recipe comes from a new book by Brooke Griffin: Skinny Suppers- 125 Lightened-Up Healthier Meals for Your Family. Brooke is the creator of the popular website: SkinnyMom.com. The book includes 125 suppers and sides that are lower in fat and calories. There is nutritional information included with each recipe. Most recipes are under 350 calories/serving and take less than 30 minutes to prep and cook. Note that some of the recipes do call for some canned items (like condensed soup) or already prepared items (like salad dressing or taco seasoning) and reduced sugar items too (jam, syrup, ketchup). Here are several recipes that I’ve bookmarked to make later: Cheeseburger Lettuce Wraps, Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers, Zucchini Taco Boats, Southern Biscuits and Gravy Casserole, Slow Cooker Asian Drumsticks, Kentucky Bourbon Fall-off-the-Bone Ribs, Grilled Pineapple Teriyaki Pork Chops, Crispy Coconut Fish Sticks, Easy Asian Salmon with Orange Sweet Glaze, BBQ Turkey Chili, Baked Eggplant Parmesan, Skinny Sweet Potato Biscuits, Old Bay Deviled Eggs and Skinny Broccoli Salad.
A one-pot meal means you just add everything to the pot (all of the things pictured… with a few cups of water), bring to a boil, simmer and this whole pasta meal is done in 25 minutes. The best parts: you’ve dirtied only one pan, and it’s a meal that your whole family should enjoy.
All of the ingredients cook down into a wonderful homemade pasta sauce. And utilizing whole wheat pasta and light cheese, this turns out to be a healthier dinner choice to put on the table.
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you will find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Easy One Pot Caprese Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces whole wheat rigatoni or penne pasta
- One 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
- 4 sticks light string cheese, cut into ½ inch pieces
- One 10 ounce container grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ small onion, diced
- 12 leaves fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 6 leaves fresh basil, chopped for garnish (optional)
- 6 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine 3 cups water, pasta, crushed tomatoes, cheese pieces, grape tomatoes, onion, basil, garlic, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer ad cook uncovered until the pasta has softened, 25 to 30 minutes. Much of the water will boil out.
- Serve drizzled with balsamic vinegar. If desired, garnish with chopped basil and Parmesan.
Notes
- For bigger Italian flavor, double the amount of garlic, onion and basil in the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Here are a few more one pot dinner recipes you might enjoy:
- One Pot Pasta Primavera by Oh My Veggies
- One Pot Coconut Chickpea Curry by RecipeGirl
- One Pot Paprika Chicken Thighs by Reluctant Entertainer
Can this be made in the insta pot?
I’m not sure how to convert…
One pot pastas are our favorite! Love how easy and convenient they are! Perfect for busy weeknights! This caprese version and Brooke’s cookbook look amazing!