One-Pot Tomato basil Pasta with Ricotta

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This easy one-pot tomato basil pasta recipe with ricotta requires only one pot, minimal effort, and it’s ready in less than 20 minutes. It’s a delicious cozy family meal perfect for on-the-go weeknights!

The best part is that you don’t have to cook and drain the pasta separately, but the pasta cooks with the flavorsome sauce all in one pot.

And not only cooking all together means quicker dinner, and less hassle and pots to wash, but it also delivers amazing results. The pasta absorbs all the flavor from the sauce and releases the starch making the final dish rich and luscious.

Add the fresh basil at the end of cooking to preserve its beautiful aroma, and finally complete with ricotta and grated parmesan cheese to take it over the top!

Believe me, this one-pot penne pasta is a no brainer, versatile, and you’ll be asked for seconds.

List of the ingredients

• Short pasta shapes (penne, fusilli…)
• Canned diced tomatoes
• Ricotta
• Freshly grated parmesan
• Basil
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Paprika (optional)
• Oregano
• Salt & Pepper

How to make one-pot tomato basil pasta

(Note: the full recipe is at the bottom of the post)

• Saute’ garlic, oregano and paprika in olive oil.
• Add tomatoes, water, salt, pepper and the pasta.
• Cover with a lid and cook until al dente.

• When the pasta is nearly done stir in the fresh basil.
• Then finish the dish with ricotta, parmesan and give a good stir. Done!

RECIPE NOTES

Tips to make one-pot tomato basil pasta

• Start sauteing the minced garlic in some olive oil. Don’t skip this step, it takes only seconds and definitely adds a deeper flavor (better than adding the whole garlic cloves to the sauce).
• Choosing short pasta shapes such as penne, fusilli or bow-tie makes this method even easier and doesn’t require you to stir constantly, definitely an added bonus!
• Add salt at the beginning, not at the end. While cooking, pasta soaks up flavor and saltiness from the sauce. You can always “adjust” the seasoning according to your taste at the end, if you wish.
• Cooking time might vary according to the pasta brands and shapes. However, cooking the pasta into into the tomato sauce will take a bit longer than the cooking time give in the package instructions.

One-pot tomato basil pasta variations

This is definitely a customizable one-pot penne pasta recipe, and you can easily add protein or vegetables of your choice:

• Firstly, you can substitute ricotta with cream cheese, mascarpone, soft goat cheese or crumbled feta. These cheese are tasty and rich, start with 1/3 cup and add more only if needed, trust you judgment here. However, you can skip the cheese all together if you wish to keep it vegan, it will be delicious anyway!
• You can add fresh vegetables such as 10 oz of raw baby spinach in the last minutes of the cooking time. But also leftover sauteed vegetables such as peppers, zucchini, or kale will work (add them along with the basil).
• Shredded grilled chicken makes another delicious add-on if you wish.

What do to with leftover ricotta?

If you are wondering what to do with the leftover ricotta, I’ve got you cover with these delicious recipes:

• Crostini with ricotta and peas
• Pasta with zucchini
• Sun dried tomato pesto
• Lemon ricotta pasta

Looking for more one-pot pasta recipes?

If you love hearty one-pot pasta recipes full of vegetables and legumes, you’ve come to the right place. Below you’ll find some of my favorite Italian recipes:

• Pasta with peas
• Pasta with beans (pasta e fagioli)
• White bean pasta
• Pasta with chickpeas (pasta e ceci)
• Pasta with lentils
• Pumpkin pasta

If you make this one-pot basil tomato pasta, or if you have any questions, let me know! Leave a comment or rate it. I would love to hear from you! 
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