Dinner 4 of 20
Tomato Pasta + Greens
A quick tomato sauce from a can, a bag of spinach wilted in, and the move that changes pasta forever: the noodles finish cooking in the sauce, with a splash of the starchy water they boiled in. Parmesan on top. Twenty-five minutes, one pot and one pan.
28 minutes · serves 4 · ~18g protein per serving; add a can of white beans to the sauce for ~28g
Ingredients
Equipment
large pot · large skillet · colander · measuring cup or mug · chef's knife · cutting board · tongs
The steps
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Cook Mode walks these one at a time, with timers and a way out when things go sideways.
The idea
The pasta finishes in the sauce. Cloudy pasta water is an ingredient, and it's what makes the sauce cling instead of slide.
New tonight
Boiling · The pasta method · Emulsification
Substitutions
- spinach → kale (stems off, give it 3 extra minutes in the sauce), arugula, or frozen spinach squeezed dry
- crushed tomatoes → whole canned tomatoes crushed by hand, or diced tomatoes. Hand-crushing is messy and satisfying.
- Parmesan → pecorino, or any hard cheese you can grate
- spaghetti → penne, rigatoni, whatever's in the cupboard — the method doesn't care about the shape
- the whole homemade sauce → a good jarred marinara, warmed in the skillet. Still finish the pasta in it with pasta water — the method is the lesson, not the sauce.
Tomorrow
- Skillet-crisped pasta — reheat leftovers in an oiled pan and let them sit until the bottom gets crispy. Arguably better than round one.
- Baked-ish pasta — leftovers in a small baking dish, extra cheese on top, 10 minutes at 400°F.
Freeze: The sauce alone freezes beautifully for 2 months — double it next time and bank half before the spinach goes in.
Keeps 3–4 days in the fridge. Reheat with a splash of water and a lid; starches want their water back.
Make ahead
The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. Boil pasta fresh — it's 10 minutes.