This tomato confit pasta is a magical one-pan, 15 minute dinner for one. Keep cherry tomato confit in your fridge so you can whip up this quick meal anytime! Based on the famous one-pan technique, this pasta has just a few ingredients but is so delicious and comforting.
Remember that cherry tomato confit I recently shared? Well, now I'm here to share the meal I make the most out of it! If you have a small pan and 15 minutes, you've got a pasta dinner for one that is going to blow you away.
One-pan pasta
Years ago, Martha Stewart came out with a new pasta-cooking technique that everyone just about lost their minds over.
Myself included!
Instead of the traditional boil your pasta in a separate pot, draining and then combining with sauce game, in this case you're cooking the pasta in just enough water to essentially create your sauce.
You can add other ingredients, like tomatoes, onions, garlic, etc., from the get-go and once the water is all absorbed, you essentially have a finished pasta dish!
I've tried the original, and while it's good, I always felt like it lacked a little flavor. I shared an updated version a few years ago (old post alert!) and now this one is my new favorite. And even easier!
Quick refresher on tomato confit
Cherry tomatoes + olive oil + garlic + thyme. Slowly roast in a low oven.
That's it!
Tomato confit is a great little weekend project to help prepare for the week. If you have a jar of this deliciousness in your fridge, you can make so many quick meals, including this pasta.
What kind of pasta works best?
I've found that the one-pan pasta technique works really well with long pastas, like spaghetti or linguine, but I've also tried this with various pasta shapes like penne and it works beautifully.
You can definitely use whatever you have on hand, just keep an eye on it as the pasta is cooking. With different shapes, you may need more water so just keep some nearby and add an additional tablespoon or two if the pan gets dry and the pasta is not cooked yet.
How to make this one-pan pasta wonder
- Add dry pasta, most of your water and salt to a small pan. I find a small, 8-inch frying pan works best. If you are using a long pasta, like spaghetti or linguine, you can break the pasta in half to fit in the pan.
- Boil the pasta, stirring freqently, until most of the water is gone. Add the remaining water and keep boiling until the pasta is almost cooked through.
- Add your tomato confit, including some of the oil and juices, and stir vigorously to help emulsify the sauce. Let the pasta finish cooking in this liquid.
- Turn off the heat and add cheese, basil and black pepper to finish. If you like a little spice like me, add some crushed red pepper flakes too!
Looking for more easy pasta recipes like this one?
Most of these are full-batch recipes, but can be scaled down if needed!
- One-pan pasta (single serve)
- Brown butter burst cherry tomato pasta
- One pan baked tomato and feta pasta
- Creamy pesto chicken meatball pasta
- One pot creamy cajun orzo with shrimp
Single Serve Cherry Tomato Confit Pasta
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
This tomato confit pasta is a magical one-pan, 15 minute dinner for one. Keep cherry tomato confit in your fridge so you can whip up this quick meal anytime! Based on the famous one-pan technique, this pasta has just a few ingredients but is so delicious and comforting.
Ingredients
- 3 oz dry pasta
- 1 cup water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup cherry tomato confit
- 1-2 tablespoons grated parmesan
- To serve: Basil
Instructions
- Place 3 oz dry pasta in a small frying pan (I use an 8-inch pan) along with ¾ cup water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Turn heat to medium-high.
- When water comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Use a fork or tongs to move the pasta around a little every minute or so to ensure it doesn't stick. Keep simmering until most of the water is gone. At this point the pasta should be softened, but still very al dente.
- Add the remaining ¼ cup water and keep cooking, stirring every minute, until that water is almost all gone too.
- Add ⅓ cup tomato confit to pan and stir vigorously. The oil and tomato juices from the confit will continue to cook the pasta so make sure you're stirring well to help the sauce emulsify.
- Once pasta is cooked (eat and test one!), turn off heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese and torn basil (as much as you want). Stir to combine.
- Serve with additional parmesan, basil and freshly cracked black pepper if desired. If you like things a little spicy, add some crushed red pepper flakes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- If you're using leftover tomato confit, take it out of the fridge for a few minutes to make it easier to measure out both the tomatoes and the oil.
- You can use any kind of pasta you want for this. Certain shapes might need a little more than 1 cup of water, so keep an eye on it and add more water a tablespoon or two at a time until the pasta is cooked through.
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
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