1-Pot Pesto Pasta

I love to cook dishes that require least amount of effort, time and utensils. The fewer the number of utensils I have to use, the better. I therefore love to cook these 1-pot wonders that well, as the name suggests, utilize just 1 pot and of course, a ladle to stir up everything.

Now usually I cook pasta by first boiling water, cooking the pasta until al dente and then in a separate pot, throwing in some veggies/meat, seasoning etc and then draining the cooked pasta and then finally incorporating that into the sauteed veggies/meat. It does take some time and effort to do all that. Not to forget, I have extra utensils in my sink. So sometimes, when I am on a time-crunch, I just cook everything together in 1 pot and it turns out pretty darn good. This is how I make my 1-pot pesto pasta:

• I take a pot, add some oil, followed by some Italian seasoning and then throw in some mushrooms. 
• Quickly sautee and then add a packet of pasta. 
• I then add water just enough to cover the pasta. Yes, they do say that pasta must be cooked in "sea-water," meaning a lot of salty water..........but remember, this is my 1-pot pasta wonder. 
• I then add some salt and pepper and then once it comes to a boil, I cover the pot and reduce the heat. 
• I stir it intermittently to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. 
• Towards the end, I add some broccoli and frozen peas followed by a couple tablespoons of pesto. 
• Give it all one last stir and ta-da! my 1-pot pesto pasta is ready! 

 My 1-Pot Pesto Pasta

I made this for dinner on Saturday. Before serving, I added some chopped cucumber on top. It added a lovely cool, fresh crunch to the warm and delicious pasta.

The best part was that I had only 1 pot to wash!