One Pot Sesame Ginger Pasta (Recipe)
Even though I work from home now, I still like to find (and create!) recipes that are quick and easy.I am absolutely fascinated with the idea of one-pot meals. Maybe it's because I'm the product of two parents who seem to take it upon themselves to use as many pots, pans, and dishes as humanly possible when cooking a meal. More likely, though, it's because as much as I like being in the kitchen, I absolutely positively 100% hate doing dishes.
I've gotten a lot better about it; a few years ago, I would throw a veritable tantrum if I came home at the end of a long, hard day and was faced with a pile of dirty dishes - or even worse, a pile of dirty dishes and a full load of clean dishes in the washer that would have to be put away before the dirty ones could go bye-bye.
Nowadays, I am mastering the art of Cleaning as You Cook; making sure that the dishwasher and sink are empty before I even start prepping a meal, so that dirty utensils and dishes disappear faster than a gangster wearing a wire.
I researched a lot of one-pot meals before crafting this recipe, and as I usually do when I research things, I got a bit overwhelmed by coming up with one of my own. Also as usual, I figured out after a while that the anxiety was mainly in my head - one-pot meals are insanely easy.
I liked the idea of using something other than water as the liquid for the pasta - because why not infuse the flavor of chicken broth and coconut milk directly into the noodle? A genius idea that I'm kicking myself for not coming up with sooner.
I am also a 12-year-old at heart so I love rainbows and sparkles and stuff. When it comes to cooking, I like to literally taste the rainbow, throwing in as many colors as I can (natural colors, that is). Just chopping the vegetables for this dish made me happy - I redded, purpled, and greened all over my kitchen!
This recipe was specially designed to incorporate Healthy Solutions Spice Blends products; the company is holding its annual Blogger Recipe Challenge, and sent me a complimentary packet of the Sesame Ginger Tuna blend to try out in my recipe. I enjoyed the earthy onion and garlic scent as soon as I opened the packet, and was happy to see cute little sesame seeds in it as well - who doesn't love when a garnish is included in the spice pack?
I tried to keep this recipe as healthy as possible, in keeping with Healthy Solutions' goal of natural, low salt/sugar, healthy yet tasty food. Whole wheat spaghetti. Low-fat coconut milk. Low sodium chicken broth. You get the picture.
The thing I loved most about making this; witnessing the magic of throwing everything into a pot (including dry pasta! What?!) and just letting it go. No interminable waiting while the water boils, no messy noodle draining. Just perfectly done pasta with a thick and creamy sauce.
Enjoy!
One Pot Sesame Ginger Pasta
Ingredients
8 oz whole wheat thin spaghetti
1 13-oz can low fat coconut milk
3 c low sodium chicken broth
1.5 c frozen peas
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp sriracha (more or less to taste)
2 Tbsp Healthy Solutions Sesame Ginger Tuna
1 lb fresh or thawed medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Green onion, diced (for garnish)
Instructions
Combine all ingredients except the shrimp and green onion in a pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the shrimp and continue simmering for an additional 5 minutes. Serve and garnish with the green onion.
{UPDATE: I totally won.}