One-Pot Cheese and Tomato Pasta with Spring Vegetables and creamy feta – a perfect meat-free meal for any night.
I’ve been converting more pasta dishes into one-pot meals lately. They’re quick to cook, simple to transfer to the table and mean far less washing up. This One-Pot Cheese and Tomato Pasta with Spring Vegetables is exactly that — comforting, bright with spring veg and finished with creamy feta.
I enjoy the challenge of reimagining different pasta recipes as one-pot dinners. If you like this recipe, some other one-pot favourites include Chicken and Broccoli Pasta with creamy garlic, Cheesy Chicken and Tomato, Garlic Chicken Pasta with Lemon and Kale, Cajun Chicken Pasta with Chorizo and Peppers, and One Pan Spaghetti and Meatballs. I’ll pull those together into a round-up soon.
It’s been a hectic couple of weeks with blog, freelance and sponsored work, plus a lot of video production. My husband Chris has been helping with recording and editing in the evenings while I focus on recipes, filming and photography. We’ve finally solved our artificial lighting problems and are improving filming and editing processes.
Because Chris loves the video work so much, we’ve decided he’ll join the site full time. We’re still working out the logistics, but I’m hopeful we’ll be working together before summer — which is very exciting.
People sometimes ask if working together with your partner causes problems. We worked together for years in IT (often in the same office), so I’m fairly confident it won’t end in daily arguments. And hopefully he’ll help tackle the mountain of washing up after shoots — though that may be optimistic.
One advantage of this pasta dish is how little washing up it creates: a chopping board, a knife, a pan and serving bowls. Even the kids can help clear up.
The Recipe:
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One-Pot Cheese and Tomato Pasta with Spring Vegetables
5
20
25
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- 720 ml (3 cups) milk
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 250 g (9 oz) dried penne pasta
- 420 ml (1 3/4 cups) water just boiled from the kettle
- 400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato puree/paste
- 12-15 stalks of tenderstem broccoli
- 1 small courgette, chopped
- 150 g (1 1/3 cups) grated mature cheddar cheese
- 2 large handfuls of watercress
- 80 g (3/4 cup) crumbled feta cheese
- ½ small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Instructions
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Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan or Dutch oven. Whisk in the flour until it forms a thick paste, then add the milk a splash at a time while whisking to avoid lumps.
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Stir in the salt and pepper, then add the pasta.
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Pour in the boiled water, stir, then add the tin of tomatoes and the tomato puree. Stir to combine, bring to a gentle bubble, then cover with a lid.
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Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the sauce doesn’t stick. Check the pasta for doneness — it should be almost cooked at this point.
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Add the tenderstem broccoli and chopped courgette, replace the lid and cook for another 5–6 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. If the pan looks too dry, add a splash of hot water from the kettle.
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Remove the lid and stir in the grated cheddar until melted and evenly distributed.
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Fold in half the watercress, then scatter the remaining watercress on top. Finish with crumbled feta, sliced red onion and chopped parsley. Season with a little extra black pepper if you like, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be treated as an estimate.
