The Quick and Easy Dinner I Make for Pennies on the Dollar
The Quick and Easy Dinner I Make for Pennies on the Dollar
Description
I’m a private chef and often come home too tired to cook. Spending my day making beautiful plates with sauces and side dishes for my clients is gratifying, but by the time I finish, I am hungry myself and I just want to put my feet up.
My chef skills pay off in the end because I know how to make a meal happen faster than a pizza can be delivered and for pennies on the dollar. This one-pot spaghetti with kale is one of those meals and one that my husband loves, too.
Timesavers Are Key
The one-pot method I employ for cooking the pasta saves time by skipping the wait to bring a big pot of water to a boil. Instead, I add only the water necessary to hydrate the spaghetti, and in the course of cooking, it will also cook the kale and carrots. A can of diced tomatoes and their juices combine with the surface starch of the pasta and some flavorful olive oil to create a sauce right in the pot at the same time.
As for the vegetable prep, I’ve washed, stripped, and chopped many, many bunches of kale over the years, and I have to say, sometimes the big bag of pre-chopped kale at the grocery store is too appealing to pass up. It works perfectly for this dish, and the cooking time is long enough to ensure that the kale is tender but still green.
While I’m at the store, I also grab a tub of pre-shredded Parmesan, too, because I am not stopping to grate cheese today.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 4 packed cups chopped kale (about 4 ounces)
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, plain or with basil and garlic
- 1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Place the spaghetti in a deep skillet that’s at least 12 inches across or in a Dutch oven. Add the kale, tomatoes and their juice, carrot, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper, then pour the water over it all.
Put a lid on the pan and place it over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, then cook, removing the lid periodically and stirring with tongs to separate and turn the spaghetti, until the pasta is tender and the sauce is thickened, about 11 minutes. Test a strand of spaghetti by biting it; if it’s underdone, cook for another minute. When done, toss with the Parmesan and serve.
Notes
N/A
