{30 minute} Italian One Pot Wonder

A delicious healthy dinner done in 30 minutes with only one pot to wash? Yes please. A million times over. You know how you have your go-to meal when you need to take dinner to someone? This has become mine. Grab a loaf of ciabatta bread, a bagged salad then whip up a batch of cookies while this is on the stove. Done and done. And chances are, after a half hour of dropping it off you'll get a text asking for the recipe. It's definitely a keeper. (I didn't get a picture once it was finished cooking because I was in too much of a rush to go inhale the fresh scent of a newborn's head while I dropped dinner off. But when it is finished the liquid will be fully absorbed so it's a pasta dish, not a soup)

*It's hard to convert from grams to ounces here, so I totally added too many noodles this time and it ended up absorbing the liquid before they were completely cooked, make sure you stick to the 12 oz or increase the broth

4 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp olive oil
12 oz. linguini (broken in half)
2 C baby spinach leaves (stems removed)
2 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
½ medium onion, chopped
1 Carrot, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ Tbsp dried basil
½ Tbsp dried oregano
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
freshly cracked pepper to taste
1-2 chicken breasts (optional)
½ C fresh parmesan cheese (or feta cheese)

If you choose to add chicken, cook the chicken in a crockpot with a little broth, then shred, or grill and slice then serve on top. In a large pot add the broth, olive oil and linguini (broken in half). Make sure the linguini is submerged in the liquid then add the remaining ingredients. Place a lid on top of the pot, and then turn the heat on to high. Allow the pot to come up to a full, rolling boil over high heat then remove the lid and turn the heat down to medium. Allow the pot to continue to boil over medium heat, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir the pot every few minutes as it cooks to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom, but avoid over stirring which can cause the pasta to become sticky and mushy. The pot must be boiling the entire time. Top each serving with shredded parmesan or feta.

*source: adapted from www.budgetbytes.com