One-Pot Spaghetti With Cherry Tomatoes and Kale

Recipe from Anna Jones

Adapted by Tejal Rao

Updated July 23, 2024

One-Pot Spaghetti With Cherry Tomatoes and Kale
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(8,355)
Comments
Read comments

In this simple recipe, raw pasta and cherry tomatoes are simmered together in a single pan, cooking the pasta and forming a thick, starchy sauce at the same time. The efficient technique is internet famous, but this is the British cookbook author Anna Jones’s vegetarian take on the phenomenon, adapted from her book “A Modern Way to Cook.” The technique is easy to master and endlessly adaptable: When you add the kale, you could also toss in a couple of anchovies and a generous pinch of red-pepper flakes. When you season and top with cheese, you could add a pile of fresh chopped herbs, like mint, basil or oregano. —Tejal Rao

Featured in: Review: Practical Magic for the Modern Cook

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1pound spaghetti
  • 1pound cherry tomatoes, halved (about 2 pints)
  • 2lemons, zested
  • ¼cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1bunch kale or spinach, leaves only, washed and chopped
  • Black pepper
  • Parmesan, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

699 calories; 27 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 98 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 946 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring just over a quart of water to a boil. Meanwhile, place spaghetti, tomatoes, lemon zest, oil and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a large, dry, shallow pan. (The pan should be large enough that the dry spaghetti can lie flat.)

  2. Step 2

    Carefully add the boiling water to the pan with the spaghetti. Cover pan, and bring up to a boil. Remove lid and simmer for about 6 minutes, using tongs to move the spaghetti around now and then so it doesn’t stick.

  3. Step 3

    Add kale or spinach and continue cooking until remaining liquid has reduced to a sauce and the pasta is cooked through. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and top with Parmesan.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
8,355 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Anna Maria

It's difficult to tell sarcasm on the internet (maybe the author is making fun of people who demand fresh pasta always?) but to any concerned Americans: As an Italian, I can promise we normally use dry pasta in all our famous pasta recipes that you love so much. Our food is much more simple than food snobs try to pretend it is, and that's why it's so good!

Deb

I like very spicy food, so mine has a lot of garlic, red chili pepper flakes, etc. The first time I made this was for a Vegan friend who was visiting. In place of Parmesan, I placed dry roasted almonds--unsalted--in my food processor and pulsed until they were the texture of fine meal. I stirred this into my finished dish and everybody thought it was cheese. It added protein to the dish and I omitted the one thing that made it non-Vegan--the Parmesan.

Lynn Olson

People: The whole point of the dish is the way the pasta is cooked! That’s what gives it distinctiveness. You can cook it traditionally but then it’s not this dish. I’m single and it gave me 4 meals. Loved it

Ursula Myers

Did not like it as much as other recipes from NYT. Took forever to cook the water away. Didn’t like tomato texture. Way too much spaghetti. I weighed everything to make sure I had the right proportions. I prefer my own method. I cook the cherry tomatoes, 1 pound for two people in olive oil and garlic. When they are nice and soft, I add two handfuls of spinach and a few leaves of fresh basil. When spinach and basil are softened, I add the already cooked and drained spaghetti. I add Parmesan.

Ursula Myers

I’ve been making this for a long time before I ever saw this recipe. I love it. Came up with it when I had a (Costco size) box of cherry tomatoes. I’ve not used lemon so I’m trying that the next time.

Name marcia

Definitely easy to make and add various herbs, olives, or whatever one likes, maybe artichokes which have been roasted or chickpeas.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from "A Modern Way to Cook," by Anna Jones (Ten Speed Press, 2016)

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.