one-skillet, self-saucing pasta

I tried a neat recipe from Cooks' Illustrated that included some instructions for cooking chicken, pasta, and broccoli all in the same pot. Rather than using different pans to steam broccoli, sautee chicken, and boil pasta, you use one 12-inch skillet to accomplish all three things.

Essentially, you boil the pasta in just enough water to cook it with a little left over to build a sauce. The leftover water is very starchy, so it is a great binder for the sauce. The chicken is sauteed before and the broccoli is added toward the end so that it is steamed for just the right amount of time.

It got me thinking...could this technique be applied to any type of pasta dish? The answer is "it depends." After a bunch of tests, I've found that it works best with larger tube-shaped pastas (ziti, penne, rigatoni, etc.) and not at all with spaghetti or other thin noodles. The other caveat it that it works with up to half a pound of pasta. More than that and the ratios are a little off. Plus, the shape of the pan needed to hold more than that is more "stockpot" than "skillet" and you don't evaporate enough of the water away.

Here's a recipe I came up with using this technique. 8 ounces of pasta is enough for two as a main or 4 as a side. The recipe can be halved (use a 10-inch skillet), but attempts to double have proven difficult.

1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
small pinch of dried italian herbs
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
8 oz. tube-shaped pasta (ziti, penne, rigatoni)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 oz. grated Italian cheese of your choice (parmesan, romano, or asiago work great)

1. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Sauté the garlic in the oil for no more than 30 seconds. Toss in the herbs for a few seconds before adding the water and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Add the pasta and stir. Boil for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the macaroni from sticking to each other. You're looking for just a bit of water left -- the pasta should be al dente and have used up most of the cooking liquid.

3. Add the cream and grated cheese and stir until combined. Garnish with chopped parsley right before serving.

Variations: For a pink sauce, add 1 TB tomato paste (I like Amore brand in a tube -- you don't have to open a whole can every time you want to use a bit) to the water and broth. Proceed as directed. There are tons of last-second additions that work: halved grape tomatoes, julienned fresh basil, 1/2 inch chunks of mozzarella, frozen peas -- use your imagination!