Pasta e patate (pasta and potatoes)
Potatoes cook down into a creamy, cheesy sauce around small pasta in a single pot, a Naples dinner that proves carbs on carbs is a very good idea.
- 45 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $1.61 a serving
- 530 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ lb russet potatoes
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 8 oz elbow macaroni
- ¾ cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 5 cups water, divided
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 530 calories, 17 g protein, 81 g carbs and 16 g fat, and costs about $1.61 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No russet potatoes? Yukon gold potatoes work.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No elbow macaroni? Penne works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the potatoes and cut them into ½-inch . the onion.
Peel. Peeling means removing the skin with a vegetable peeler or a small knife. It takes off tough or bitter skins, though potato and carrot skins are fine to leave on unless the recipe insists.
How you’ll know: The color underneath is even all over, with no patches of skin left behind.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, 5 minutes, until soft.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes for 1 minute, then add the potatoes and stir to coat.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Add 4 cups water and the salt, over high heat, then 12 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and starting to fall apart.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 12 min
Stir in the pasta and cook, stirring often and scraping the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes, until tender. Add some of the last cup of water whenever it looks dry.
Medium heatTimer: 11 min
Dolly’s tip: It should look loose and creamy, like a thick risotto. The potato starch is the sauce.Take the pot off the heat and stir in the parmesan and black pepper until creamy. Let it sit 2 minutes to .
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Timer: 2 min
Taste for salt and serve in bowls with more parmesan and a of olive oil.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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One-pan dinners ›Vegetarian dinners ›What to make with pasta and parmesan ›