Easy and Accessible Gluten-Free One Pot Pasta

 I love pasta, and this pasta is super delicious and versatile, and you can add or remove any additions you like! I'll be writing this recipe the way I normally prepare it, but any add-ons I use (cheese, spinach, ground turkey, sauteed onions, etc/) can be removed or substituted if you either don't have them or don't like them. There's not many measurements, because i just kind of feel it out according to personal taste, but there should be just enough measurements to get by. This meal takes about 20-30 minutes total to make, depending on what shortcuts you take (such as buying frozen pre-chopped veggies vs chopping your own), and only uses one pot to limit dishes, and on top of all that you can feed multiple people with this. Or, if you're on your lonesome, you'll have leftovers for several days. If you can't eat all that pasta leftovers before it goes bad, it's very easy to separate out into meal prep containers and freeze for reheating! 

 

Ingredients: 

• 12 ounces of your favorite gluten-free pasta
• 2 1/2 cups pasta sauce and equal parts water (equivalent to a no. 2 can, which is 20 oz; you can also use two 11 oz cans)
• 1 lb ground meat (I use turkey) 
• shredded cheese (you can grate your own or buy a pre-shredded mix! I like the Mexican cheese mix since it melts super easily)
• 1/2 cup diced onions (you can use pre-diced frozen onions, or dice your own, whatever works best for you) 
• 2-3 cups baby spinach (you can buy pre-chopped frozen baby spinach or chop your own, whatever works for you)
• Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste

Directions: 

1. Cook your ground meat in a pot on medium heat with your seasonings until most of the liquid has cooked off and it's started to brown, breaking up the chunks regularly until your meat is broken into small pieces.
2. Add your diced onions into the meat - the leftover grease from the meat is enough to cook down the onions and you shouldn't need to add extra oil. Cook until the onions are softened and the liquid has cooked out and been absorbed completely. Meat should be browned by now. 
3. Add in your spinach and continue cooking until spinach has shrunk down to about 1/3rd of its volume. 
4. Add in your pasta sauce to the pot, fill the can or jar with equal parts water, and add the water to the pot. Turn up the heat to medium-high and continue cooking until your sauce is bubbling, and be sure to taste as you go. Season further if you think it needs it! The meat has been seasoned, but even if the sauce is pre-seasoned, it might need more. Trust your own judgment. 
5. Once sauce is bubbling, add in your pasta. Stir, cover the pot with a lid, and let cook, removing the lid to stir occasionally so that the pasta doesn't stick to the pot and burn or stick together and become a clumpy mess. Cook pasta for about 10-15 minutes, until it reaches al dente and has absorbed much of the added water in the sauce. Don't worry if all of the excess liquid hasn't been absorbed, because it will absorb more as it sits.
6. At this point, you can add in your cheese. I do one to two handfuls of shredded cheese and stir until it melts and fully incorporates. 
7. Serve and enjoy!