Seriously you guys, am I the very last person to have heard of this? I know, pasta is frequently one-pot, in a sense, but the magic of this pasta is that you throw all the stuff together - dry pasta, tomatoes, salt, water - in one pan and let it cook together, for about 9 minutes. This eliminates that suuuuuper annoying water boiling stage! No, but really: Sometimes that extra 10 minutes is all it takes for everyone to melt down. I'm not sure what's going on with us, but we're still adjusting to Life in Pre-K, and it's tough! The food situation in particular it throwing us through a loop. Lou is clearly going through a growth spurt and burning a million calories in all-day school, such that, by the time I get her, she's ravenous. I've been bringing crazy snacks for pickup, and packing full on adult-sized lunches, and it's not enough. Meanwhile, I'm "training" for a half-marathon, and just thinking about it, plus nursing, has made me ravenous. I treated ice cream like its own special little food group all last week. Though I'm getting a grip on that now, I find that by the time dinner time rolls around, I've ingested about half the calories I should have. This all results in Lou and I both being absolutely starving, and some of my carefully laid dinner plans get shunted aside for cheese sticks and goldfish because NOW.

So back to dinner. This has apparently been circulating the webs for a while, ever since a Martha Stewart staffer went to Italy and learned the secret in a REAL ITALIAN GRANDMA'S kitchen. Thus goes the lore, anyway. It is kind of genius, though, and it has, in fact, changed the way I think about pasta. So, if by some chance you haven't heard of it, here you go, and you're welcome.

One-Pan Nine-Minute Pasta (Adapted from Martha Stewart's (Staffer's) Recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients

One package linguine, preferably whole wheat
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on size
1 small bunch fresh basil, washed and divided into 3 springs with the remainder finely diced or julienned
2-4 cloves garlic, minced, depending on size and how garlicky you like things
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
plenty of freshly ground black pepper and salt
pinch- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
4 1/2 cups water
plenty of parmesan or vegetarian equivalent cheese, shredded or sliced, your choice
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving

Directions

Throw everything but the julienned basil and parmesan into a pot or saucepan large enough lay the pasta down flat. I started with healthy pinches of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for about nine minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Toss with fresh basil, parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and another drizzle of olive oil. Done-zo.

See how the pasta is nice and moist looking? So uncomplicated, it's amazing. I guess it might not be fully life-changing, but it is pretty neat.

For sure try this. The "sauce" is a bit thicker than most, but it's super tasty, and the fresh basil (which I increased from the original recipe) really makes the whole thing fresh and delicious tasting (as fresh basil will do). This is the basic concept, but there are endless riffs, which I urge you to check out here. Cooking time and water amounts may vary depending on the type of pasta and additional ingredients.

Are you already doing this? What, when, why, how?