One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta

Back at work full time has got me thinking about how I'm going to manage getting home after a long day of work and have to make dinner, clean up dinner, put my son down, and catch up on life. I am a huge fan of meal prepping on Sundays, which some may say is daunting, but for me, it's cathartic. Knowing that I have meals prepped ahead of time (or even if it's part of the meal) helps me not freak out when I get home. Nevertheless, pasta is always an easy meal, but when making a sauce or having to boil pasta, it can be a lot on the stove at once. Hence, this one pot garlic parmesan pasta is literally the best thing I've made in quite some time. The creaminess of the sauce, mixed with the sautéed garlic, coating the pasta and finished with an extra helping of parmesan, I swear this will be on repeat, especially when it's THIS easy.

Believe it or not, pasta is not something I make well. My husband is way better at boiling pasta than I am, not sure why that is but it's just what it is in our marriage: he does the pasta (and rice), and I do just about everything else. Although for this dish, I made the pasta and gave myself a pat on the back because it turned out DA BOMB. Pasta can easily go from al dente to ultra mushy in a matter of minutes, so relying just on the box directions doesn't work. We use our tastebuds to test if the pasta is to our liking. We chose rigatoni for this specific dish as the ridges of the pasta holds on to the sauce really well. I am literally salivating thinking about this dish, it's likely i'll make it again soon.

Tips and Tricks:

• Ladle the pasta into the sauce rather than fully straining the pasta. This allows some of the pasta water to stay on the pasta and adds delicious flavor and starch to the sauce itself, letting the sauce thicken even more.
• Use pasta with ridges such as rigatoni, small shells, or fusilli. The ridges help to hold onto the sauce.
• Stay consistent with stirring the pasta over a low flame. Doing so will help the sauce thicken and coat the pasta evenly.

I can't say enough about how easy and delicious this one pot garlic parmesan pasta is. I am smitten with one pot meals, and will certainly be making more soon.