This recipe gets a lot of show time at our house - I make it at least once a week. It takes almost no time at all to come together, and you likely already have almost every ingredient in your fridge and pantry. I honestly don't know what the best part of this pasta is - the fact that it's a perfect meal for those days you don't know what to make and don't feel much like cooking, or the fact that you get a full meal without having a sink full of dishes to clean afterwards. Especially these days, take it from me, anything that says "one bowl ____" in the title is at the top of my list... let's just not even speak about quarantine dishes.

This makes a basic creamy pasta - think mac n' cheese but without all the cheese. I love the addition of greek yogurt; we always have some around because we use it in lieu of sour cream, and it really shines here. It acts as the sauce, coating each noodle perfectly and adding a touch of acidity as well. Make sure to check out my note at the end of the recipe about other things you can add in for a heartier meal!

One Pot Pasta

(adapted from The Kitchn)

• 10 ounces of large pasta (like penne, fusilli, etc) *
• 4 cups of water
• ½ cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup pecorino or parmesan cheese
• additional fixins **

In a large pot, combine all ingredients except for the cheese. Bring the mixture to a boil and then let simmer, stirring occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking. Continue to boil the pasta uncovered for 8-10 minutes, until most of the liquid has absorbed. Take the pasta off the heat and stir in the cheese and any other fixins. Leftovers keep for a few days in the fridge, just reheat with a little water added in.

* You could also use 12 ounces of a smaller pasta here (like macaroni or ditalini)
** The beauty of this recipe is that it's a fantastic base for any other ingredients you have laying around. Mix in some fresh tomatoes, or sauteed vegetables like zucchini, onion, spinach, or broccoli. Don't stop there- add in cooked bacon or ground sausage, perhaps play with different shredded cheeses or adding ricotta to make it a grown up mac n' cheese. We've also added in frozen peas and some lemon zest. Go ahead and have fun with it!