One-pot pasta — many imagine a mushy, bland dish, the kind of thing you eat for lack of something better. The reality: cooking the pasta directly in the broth and cream gives them flavor right to the core, like a risotto but without the constant monitoring. And with the gratin cheese on top, it looks like something much more elaborate than it actually is.
Ingredients :
- Chicken breast — Cut it really small—about 2 cm cubes. Too big, and it ends up dry or undercooked in the center. Leftover roast chicken from a previous meal works perfectly if you want to save even more time.
- Heavy liquid cream — No low-fat cream. Here, the cream has a structural role: it binds the sauce and gives it that silky body. A 15% cream will separate under heat and result in something grainy.
- Chicken broth — If using cubes, taste the broth before adding it. Some brands are so salty that the dish becomes inedible even before you’ve added any salt.
- Canned diced tomatoes — Drain them thoroughly. If you pour the juice in, the sauce takes much longer to thicken. One minute in a colander, and it’s sorted.
