This is the pasta you make when you want people to think you're a better cook than you are. One pot. Minimal effort. Maximum "wow, you made this?" energy. It looks like you spent an hour slow-simmering a sauce from scratch. You didn't. Everything cooks together in the same pot, including the pasta, because we're not here to wash dishes. Is it cheating? Maybe. Do we care? Absolutely not.
One pot. One dish. Zero dishes for future-you to deal with. You're welcome.
Ingredients
Instructions
Cook the chicken first. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until it's done all the way through—no pink, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the chicken and set it aside. Don't clean the pot. The little browned bits on the bottom are flavor. Leave them.
Toast the red pepper flakes. Turn the heat down to medium. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the crushed red pepper flakes. Stir them around for about a minute until they get fragrant and slightly toasted. This blooms the oils in the pepper and makes the heat more complex instead of just painful. Look at you, learning things.
Add everything else (almost). Pour in the chicken stock. Add the linguine—yes, dry, straight into the liquid, this is the magic of one-pot pasta. Add both cans of tomatoes. Add the basil and oregano. Give it a good stir so the pasta doesn't stick together in a clump. Season with a bit more salt and pepper.
Let it simmer. Keep the heat at medium and let everything cook together for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn't weld itself to the bottom of the pot. The pasta will absorb the liquid and cook at the same time. The sauce will thicken. Science is happening. The pasta is done when it's al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed into a saucy consistency. If it looks too dry, add a splash of water or more stock. If it's too soupy, cook a couple more minutes.
Add the spinach. Throw in the fresh spinach leaves. It looks like way too much. It isn't. Stir it around until the leaves wilt down, about 1-2 minutes. They'll shrink to basically nothing and turn a lovely bright green.
Cheese time. Turn off the heat. Add the shredded Parmesan and stir until it melts into the sauce. This makes everything creamy and delicious and is basically the entire reason to make this dish.
Add the chicken back. Toss the cooked chicken into the pot. Stir everything together. Taste it. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
Serve and accept praise. Dish it out into bowls. Top with extra Parmesan if you're that kind of person (you are). When someone asks how you made it, wave your hand dismissively and say "Oh, this? I just threw it together." Technically true. They don't need to know the details.
Variations For When You're Feeling Fancy (Or Lazy)
No chicken? Skip it. Add Italian sausage instead. Or just make it vegetarian and up the Parmesan. Nobody will complain.
Different greens? Kale works but takes longer to wilt. Arugula works but wilts faster. Spinach is the Goldilocks choice.
More heat? Add more red pepper flakes. Or throw in some diced jalapeño with the tomatoes. Or drizzle with chili oil at the end. Go wild. It's your mouth.
Different pasta? Use whatever you have. Penne, rigatoni, whatever. Cooking time might vary slightly. Use your eyes.
Stuff You'll Need
One large pot or deep skillet with a lid. A spoon for stirring. That's basically it. That's the whole point. One pot. Minimal cleanup. Maximum results. This is what peak efficiency looks like.
