Saturday was awesome for so many reasons. One being that Michael and I had a whole day to ourselves, and decided to go try out the brand new Kent Black’s BBQ over on Hull St. in San Marcos. Kent Black is from the same family that’s behind the iconic Black’s BBQ in Lockhart, TX, and I could not WAIT to get over to Kent Black’s and see what was up.
I am doing a guest blog feature over at Tour San Marcos on this place in the next few weeks, so I wont’ say too much here now, but what I will say is this: Go. Go now. It was wonderful, and I do dare say it, better than the original over in Lockhart.
The recipes are different, but the love is strong. My word, the food was just plain delicious, and we will for SURE be going back. Probably next weekend.
But after a huge meal like that one, full of beef ribs, sausage, brisket, potato salad, cole slaw and beans, there’s no way that any more food was on the mind for a long time. However, when our tummies eventually did start rumbling, we knew that dinner would not include meat, and would have to be light.
Enter the one pot pasta recipe I stumbled on, thanks to Oprah.com. No meat, fresh veggies and little work. Oh, and one pot. That’s it.
Just chop…
Add ingredients to a pot and stir…
Boil, simmer and serve!
Fresh, delicious and perfect for those nights you’re not feeling much like cooking. Check the recipe out below!
- 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes or 3 1/2 cups chopped, fresh tomatoes with their juices
- 1 bunch kale, ribs removed, chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh basil, chopped, plus a few whole leaves for garnish
- 1 pound whole grain pasta
- Salt
- About 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Red pepper flakes
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Drizzle in the olive oil. When it's hot, add the garlic and let it get nice and golden (this color adds lots of flavor); it will only take about 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, kale, basil, pasta, salt and 4 cups water. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Cook the whole thing for the amount of time suggested on the pasta package, giving it an energetic stir every few minutes. If it starts to look too dry, add a slosh more water (about 1/2 cup at a time). Once the pasta is al-dente, fold in the Parmesan. Taste! Does it need some red pepper flakes? A pinch of salt? Top with the fresh basil, maybe a shower of Parmesan.
