Italian Wonderpot

By pegoss

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable broth $0.52
• 2 Tbsp olive oil $0.32
• 12 oz. fettuccine $1.33
• 8 oz. frozen chopped spinach $0.79
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes $1.73
• 1 medium onion $0.43
• 4 cloves garlic $0.32
• 1/2 Tbsp dried basil $0.07
• 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano $0.07
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes $0.02
• freshly cracked pepper to taste $0.05
• 2 oz. feta cheese $0.87

Preparation

Step 1

Add four cups of vegetable broth to a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half to make stirring easier later, and then add it to the pot. Also add the canned tomatoes (undrained), olive oil, frozen spinach, onion (thinly sliced), garlic (thinly sliced), basil, oregano, red pepper, and some freshly cracked black pepper.
Make sure the ingredients are submerged under the liquid, place a lid on top of the pot, and then turn the heat on to high. Allow the pot to come up to a full, rolling boil over high heat then remove the lid and turn the heat down to medium.
Allow the pot to continue to boil over medium heat, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir the pot every few minutes as it cooks to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom, but avoid over stirring which can cause the pasta to become sticky and mushy. The pot must be boiling the entire time.
After the pasta is cooked, crumble the feta cheese over top and serve.
Other great ideas for add-ins: mushrooms, parmesan, artichoke hearts, or olives

Notes:
- Added some goat cheese and sundried tomatoes
- I’ve made it with Italian sausage and it’s fantastic. I just cook it in the pot first, drain it and add everything else per the recipe
- If you prefer to use fresh spinach, add it at the very end when everything is done cooking. Just stir the spinach in and let the residual heat wilt it. :) Parmesan would be a really great replacement for feta.
- I call this my clean the fridge pasta, I had left over jalapeño,garlic, onions, capers, chicken broth, tomatoes, black olives, added the spices and pasta
- served some sauteed chicken breast over the top.
- I boil several chicken breasts and use that broth for the pasta, then shred the chicken and add it to the pot near the end of cooking. It freezes so well that I usually make a double pot for future meals.
-I started out by sauteing garlic, herbs, and sausage etc and then adding the broth. I adding everything else, including the spinach as a frozen block and followed your instructions.