MEGAN FRANCES LLOYD
// writer

The Quickest Pasta You've Ever Made

THE QUICKEST PASTA YOU’VE EVER MADE

Originally published by Tramontina USA

Pasta is an easy go-to for a quick dinner, but there’s a way to make your favorite pasta dishes even quicker than before. Cook everything in the same pot at the same time.This won’t work with any ol’ pot or pan, but the Prima Pasta Cooking Set makes it possible. It’s a big stock pot (8, 12, or 16 quarts) that comes with removable stainless steel baskets and a lid to keep in the heat when you need it. How does that help you make a fantastic pasta dish in a half hour? You throw each ingredient in one of the baskets and let them boil, pulling the baskets out of the rolling water when they’re good and ready.

Here are 8 steps to get it done faster than you ever have before.

  1. Grab your Prima stock pot. Fill it ¾ full of water and throw in a tablespoon or two of salt, depending on how big a stock pot you decided on. Place it on a burner on high heat and throw the lid on to make it boil faster.

  2. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, grab a few different veggies and get to chopping. Try red peppers and asparagus.

  3. Pull out those shrimp you thawed overnight, clean them up, and remove their shells and tails.

  4. Pull out the box of your favorite pasta shape from the pantry, along with a garlic clove, chili flake, a lemon, fresh herbs, olive oil or butter, and a block of parmesan cheese.

  5. The trickiest part of the process is the timing. The veggies, shrimp, and pasta may all cook differently. Place the pasta, veggies, and shrimp in their perspective baskets. In this case, the asparagus, peppers, and shrimp require the same cook time, so you can put them in the same basket if you have the two-basket cooking set (8-quart). If you have the three-basket (12-quart), separate the shrimp from the vegetables. If you have the four-basket (16-quart), use two of the baskets for pasta.

  6. Pasta: The box of pasta will let you know long to leave it in there, so no need to think on that one. However, throw the pasta in first. It will surely cook longer than these particular veggies and the shrimp.
    Veggies: Asparagus and red peppers only need about 2-3 minutes depending on their size. They can both be eaten raw, so less is more. Overcook them and they can get mushy, especially the asparagus.
    Shrimp: These only need 2-3 minutes, depending on their size, making them perfect for this dish.

  7. Once cooked, pull out each basket from the water and let the water drain from each of them.

  8. Throw all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Immediately toss with a pinch or two of salt, a sprinkle of chili flake, grated garlic clove, a squeeze of lemon, fresh herbs, a few glugs of olive oil or tablespoons of butter, and a hefty grating of parmesan cheese. Toss it all together and taste for seasoning. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and a little extra parmesan.

Other tasty additions:

  • Sun-dried tomatoes

  • Olives

  • Toasted pine nuts

  • Lemon zest

  • Minced anchovies

  • Toasted bread crumbs

  • Chopped crispy bacon

  • The Simplest Tomato Sauce

The Prima Pasta Cooking Set does all the work for you. And at the end of the meal you’ll only have one pot to clean. Can you imagine a quicker way to make a homemade pasta dinner? We sure can’t.