Let’s talk about pasta for a second. Everyone talks about it like it’s the easiest thing to make in the world when you want a filling and satisfying dinner. Boil water, cook pasta, add sauce from a jar. Basic and quick, yes?

But what if boiling water takes too long? And you need to dirty a strainer to strain the pasta after it’s done? And you think pasta sauce from a jar tastes mostly nasty?

That’s my predicament. That’s why I never consider pasta my quick and easy go-to meal.

Until now. Now is when I discovered Martha Stewart’s one-pan pasta dish on food52.com. The answer to all my prayers. You use fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, which I happen to have a boatload of because my tomato plants keep pushing them on me, like a drug dealer, even though I keep “forgetting” to water the plants for days on end.

Everything goes in one pot, and the dish comes out ready in 9 minutes (plus the time it takes to boil water). You barely have to be awake to make this pasta dish, and yet it tastes like you’ve put some thought into it. The resulting dish is light and fresh, just the kind of pasta you want in the summertime -- heavy sauces and creamed dishes can wait till winter.

The raw onion and garlic don’t take on the same sweet notes as they do when sauteed, but their presence is acknowledged and appreciated as they add flavor and spice to the pasta water (which then is absorbed back into the pasta as the minutes go by).

I may try and sautee the onion and garlic first next time, just to see how that affects the final product.

I forgot to add basil, but the dish was still plenty flavorful without it. I won’t forget next time, but if you don’t have any fresh basil on hand, don’t sweat its absence.

One-pan pasta

from food52.com

12 ounces linguine

12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for garnish

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

41/2 cups water

Parmesan, freshly grated or shaved for serving

In a large pot that can accommodate the length of the linguine, combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and water.

Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for about 9 minutes, stirring frequently, until linguine is al dente and water is mostly evaporated. (I still had about 1/2 cup of water in there, but the linguine was done, so I turned the heat off at about 10 minutes. Water continues to get absorbed into the pasta, so the final product was not as liquid-y as I’d feared.)

Salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly dress with olive oil and sprinkle with grated or shaved Parmesan.

Serves about 4.