By May. The fire escape pots are back out—I planted tomatoes from seed in March before everything changed and they survived in the window through the lockdown weeks and now they're on the fire escape in May sunshine looking, improbably, healthy. "Mato," Liam said, and then remembered his own word from last year and said it again with recognition. "Mato! Same mato!" Same tomatoes. He remembered.
The city outside is beginning to show signs of life again—cautious life, masked life, spaced life, but life. People on the sidewalks. The neighbor with the corgi is out every morning. The Portuguese family across the street is having porch conversations again. We are all learning the reconfigured version of public space.
Sean has been on the site more this week—the project has reached a phase that requires physical presence—and the days with just Liam and Nora and me have their own rhythm now. I've gotten good at newborn plus toddler, which is a phrase I couldn't have said a month ago. The logistics are learnable. The sleep deprivation is persistent but managed. I function on six hours plus two. This is a known quantity.
My mother came to the backyard for thirty minutes on Saturday—outside, masked, six feet from us. She looked at Nora from across the yard with the expression of someone looking at the moon: close enough to see clearly, not close enough to touch. Liam ran to her and she put her hands up because we'd talked about it. He stopped. "No touching Grandma," he said, reciting the rule. "No touching Grandma because sick." She said "that's right, sweetheart." She held it together. I'm not sure I would have.
Those fire escape tomatoes weren’t ready yet—they’re still small and green and hopeful—but something about watching them hold on through all of it made me want to cook something that felt just as sturdy and uncomplicated. On the nights Sean gets home late and Nora finally sleeps and Liam has worn himself down to almost nothing, I need a recipe that doesn’t ask much of me. This one pan spaghetti is exactly that: everything goes in together, one pot, and it comes out tasting like you meant to do it all along. It’s become the dish I reach for when I need the kitchen to feel like something I can manage.
One Pan Spaghetti
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti, uncooked
- 1 lb lean ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 2 1/2 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or mozzarella, for serving
- Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the meat. In a large, deep skillet or wide saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef (or sausage), breaking it up as it cooks, until no longer pink, about 5–6 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Add aromatics. Reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced onion and minced garlic to the pan with the meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 3 minutes.
- Add everything else. Add the diced tomatoes (with their liquid), tomato sauce, water or broth, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Add the spaghetti. Break the spaghetti in half and add it to the pan, pressing it down into the liquid. Stir well to submerge as much as possible. Reduce heat to a steady simmer.
- Cook uncovered. Simmer, stirring every 3–4 minutes to prevent sticking, until the spaghetti is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 12–15 minutes. Add a splash more water if the pan looks dry before the pasta is done.
- Finish and serve. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve directly from the pan, topped with shredded cheese and fresh herbs if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 520 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 65g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 680mg