Donal's one-pan pasta

Ingredients

Scaled for your household (2 portions) · original serves 2

• Cherry tomatoes200 g
  halved
• Baby spinach50 g
• Brown onion1
  small, finely sliced
• Garlic cloves3 clove
  finely sliced
• Red chilli1
  finely chopped
• Spaghetti200 g
• Extra virgin olive oil30 ml
  1½ tbsp
• Water600 ml
  or use vegetable stock
• Pecorino50 g
  grated
• Basil1 handful
  small handful
• Saltto taste
  to season
• Black pepperto taste
  to season

Method

1. 1

   Prep the vegetables. Halve the 200 g cherry tomatoes, finely slice the small onion and the 3 garlic cloves, and finely chop the red chilli. Grate the 50 g pecorino and keep it aside with the basil — these go in at the very end.

   5 min
2. 2

   Load the pan. Put everything except the pecorino and basil into a large frying pan or wide shallow pan: the 200 g spaghetti (lay it flat), tomatoes, spinach, onion, garlic, chilli, 1½ tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil and 600 ml water or vegetable stock.

3. 3

   Bring to the boil. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring the liquid up to a boil. As it heats, use tongs to ease the spaghetti under the liquid as it softens.

4. 4

   Cook and toss. Keep it bubbling, stirring and tossing regularly with tongs so the pasta does not stick, for about 9 minutes. It is ready when the spaghetti is cooked and the liquid has almost all evaporated into a glossy sauce that clings to the pasta.

   9 min
5. 5

   Finish off the heat. Take the pan off the heat, then stir through the grated pecorino and tear in the basil. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and serve straight away.