The 3-Step Pasta Dinner You've Got to Try

The beauty of this recipe from Laurie David's The Family Cooks: 100+ Recipes to Get Your Family Craving Food That's Simple, Tasty, and Incredibly Good for You is that you boil your penne, ziti or bow ties together with the sauce ingredients. To get started, prepare your ingredients: Chop garlic, onion, kale and basil; open a can of diced tomatoes; and, measure out 4 cups of water. The hard part, as it were, is now done.

Heat your biggest pot (an 8-quart stockpot works well) over high heat and drizzle some olive oil in. Just as it starts to simmer, add everything you've just chopped (plus the tomatoes), giving the vegetables some time to soften in the oil and develop more flavor. Then add the pasta and water. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, so you see bubbles gently rising to the surface. Continue to cook for as long as the pasta package suggests, stirring every few minutes. Call everyone to the table because you're about a minute away now.

When the pasta is al dente (tender but not mushy), turn off the heat. The water will have all been absorbed, so there's no need to drain it. Fold in grated Parmesan; because while people may want to add cheese to their own portions, a quarter-cup, or so, stirred into the entire dish gives it a touch of creaminess, and probably eliminates the need for you to add salt. Finally, top the pasta with a few sprigs of fresh basil and enjoy.

Get the recipe: One-Pot Pasta