One Pot Spaghetti
One Pot spaghetti features all of the classic flavors you love in the traditional dish, but cooked in a single pot in under 30 minutes. The noodles soak up every ounce of flavor, making it one of our favorite go to easy dinners on busy weeknights.
Is it just me, or do there all to often seem to be not enough hours in the day?
A busy work day followed by helping with homework, housework, rushing kids to and from events- then you’re finally home and you still have to fix dinner. Often times it’s past time to be seated at the table and digging in. Frankly it can be overwhelming.
Thankfully for nights like that I keep a list of our favorite quick, easy one pot meals that use ingredients I always keep on hand.
This one pot spaghetti, with it’s special secret ingredient, is at the top of my list. It’s easy to throw together, and has a to die for taste that will impress even the most traditional spaghetti lovers- plus the cleanup is minimal!
The sons lovingly refer to this as lunch lady spaghetti, and when I think back on my own elementary school lunches- they aren’t wrong.
Ingredients Needed
To make this easy one pot spaghetti you’ll need a handful of easy to source ingredients, many of which you probably already have stocked in your pantry.
You’ll need:
- Ground Beef – A pound of lean ground beef is what we recommend, but if sausage in your sauce is more to your liking you can absolutely substitute the same equivalent of ground sausage or ground pork.
- Aromatics – A peeled and diced yellow onion combined with some minced garlic infuse the dish with flavor.
- Broth – Chicken broth is recommended for this recipe, but you can substitute beef or even vegetable broth to fit your preferences.
- Sauce – Spaghetti sauce, and not a chunky variety. Use your favorite brand since the flavor will shine through.
- Water
- Pasta – Spaghetti noodles specifically
- Cheese – Grated Parmesan, but since it gets stirred into the sauce you could also use shredded.
Once you’ve gathered all your ingredients you’re ready to get started making this easy dinner.
How To Make
Luckily with a short ingredient list, this easy one pot spaghetti isn’t hard to make.
Begin by adding the meat and onion to a dutch oven, or other sturdy pot, set over medium heat. Cook, crumbling the meat as you do, until it’s cooked through.
Stir in the garlic and let it cook for 60 seconds, just until fragrant.
Add the liquids to the pot- the broth, sauce, and water. Whisk together until evenly combined. Let the mixture come to a full boil.
Add the pasta to the pot, stirring to incorporate, and pressing down as needed under the broth.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 17-20 minutes stirring occasionally until the noodles are al dente.
Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted, then serve and enjoy!
How To Store One Pot Spaghetti
Untouched leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Storing longer than 2 days will result in soggy pasta.
TIPS & TRICKS
- Don’t care for ground beef? Substitute the same amount of ground turkey or ground sausage in its place.
- You can add the pasta to the pot whole, but that will require more babysitting and stirring to make sure it doesn’t stick together. Instead break the noodles in half before adding them to the pot.
- To make it a meal serve with a side salad and homemade garlic knots or focaccia rolls.
Other Spaghetti Recipes You’ll Also Enjoy:
You’ll never want to cook spaghetti the old way again after experiencing this One Pot Spaghetti. It’s incredibly tasty, and one pot makes clean up a breeze.
It’s not in a can, but it’s homemade in a synch- this is the meal of busy parents’ dreams!
Looking for other spaghetti recipes to enjoy?
Try these:
- Nonna’s Italian Spaghetti & Broccoli
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti & Meatballs Soup
- Baked Spaghetti Pie with Pepperoni
- Cheesy Mexican Chicken Spaghetti
- Spaghetti & Meatballs Garlic Bread Subs
If you’ve tried this ONE POT SPAGHETTI, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
One Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or sausage
- 1 onion diced
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 8 oz spaghetti whole or broken into pieces
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- In a Dutch Oven, or a large pot, brown the meat with the onion. Drain.1 lb ground beef, 1 onion
- Add garlic and let cook until fragrant, about one minute.2 tbsp garlic
- Add broth, spaghetti sauce, and water. Bring to a boil.1 3/4 cup chicken broth, 3 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup water
- Add spaghetti and reduce heat.8 oz spaghetti
- Cook covered 17-20 minutes, or until the noodles are al dente, stirring occasionally. Add more water if needed.
- Stir in parmesan cheese.1/4 cup grated parmesan
Notes
- Don't care for ground beef? Substitute the same amount of ground turkey or ground sausage in its place.
- You can add the pasta to the pot whole, but that will require more babysitting and stirring to make sure it doesn't stick together. Instead break the noodles in half before adding them to the pot.
- To make it a meal serve with a side salad and homemade garlic knots or focaccia rolls.
Nutrition
Where does the chicken broth come in to play?
The broth’s added in with the spaghetti sauce and water 🙂
I have made this probably 20 times since quarantine began. A go to. I now make the meat sauce in a big pot and freeze and add a frozen block of meat sauce and noodles to boiling broth to make the recipe even faster. Love this, from one tired mama
What is the best spaghetti sauce to use?
Whatever sauce you like best, any work really. For this recipe though I would recommend one that’s not ‘chunky’ style though.
Very taste and easy recipe to make! I added a teaspoon or two to the sauce and it taste delicious!
Hello! I have tried this recipe and it was WONDERFUL!!!! I have 1 silly question tho- can you tell me how much 1 serving is? Is it a cup? Thanks so much!!!
what did you add to the sauce, all you said was you added a teaspoon or two to the sauce.
do you add the meat back to the pan
You don’t take the meat out of the pan
Loved it but wish the measurements for the liquids would be more precise.
I’d love to help, but am confused on what liquids you’re referring to? They’re all listed with exact measurements…
Reduce heat to how low? Summer? Or like medium?
I’d do a tick or two under medium. Just watch it. You want to keep it at a slow simmer.
This absolutely delicious!
This was delicious and easy to follow instructions step by step instructions. I added Texas toast Garlic bread as a side. My 3 year old daughter really enjoyed it. I had the itis after this hearty meal with left overs for days. Only use half of the box of noddles instead if the whole box.
We love spaghetti around here but it always generates too many dishes. This recipe is PERFECT! One pot, easy clean up! I added about 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning to the sauce for more flavor, and also used 5 cloves of fresh garlic, pressed. We really like garlic. It was absolutely delish! One little tip, when I add the water, I measure it out then add it to the now empty pasta sauce jar, replace the lid and shake. Then I pour it into the mix. This way, I get ALL of the sauce. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Yes! Spaghetti is supposed to be a simple supper, not one that leaves me with a ton of dishes to wash lol. Thanks for sharing such good tweaks, you can never have too much garlic and no sauce should ever be wasted!
Wonderful delicious and easy, I made 1 1/2 recipes as I had 1 1/2 lb of grd beef. Leftovers are great and in the current status of stay at home Illinois, the left overs will not go to waste. Thank you I love your recipes as I usually have everything on hand.
Can’t wait to try this. I will also add 1/2 jar of pesto as I always add it to my usual spaghetti recipe.
Hi, Great recipe! I just wanted to let you know that I prepared this with Beef Stock (as I had no Chicken Stock/Broth) and it came out excellent! Thanks so much!
Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know that beef stock works just as well, Anna. Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
This was better than my sauce that takes hours to make. I added a can of tomato paste and half a packet of Italian seasoning, which
I had never done. This was just amazing.
Can u make this in a crockpot?
Guess all I need to know is how long would u cook it on low?🎄🎅☃️🎁🤶🛷👼
What is the secret ingredient? Thank you.
Make this almost every time we go camping! Great meal quick and easy!!
Sounds amazing
Thank you! It’s one of our family’s favorites 🙂
We love it for camping, but I agree with others that it is better than my at-home method.
I’ve made this three times now and have had good results each time. It is very easy to tailor it to individual tastes. For my husband and I, I use hot Italian sausage and Arrabietta pasta sauce to suit our tastes. For our grandsons I use 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 sweet Italian sausage with regurlar pasta sauce. Each is really good.
Don’t know why people make things so hard. This recipe is easy & perfect. Just follow directions. I’ve made this several times and never had a problem. Thank You So Much for a great recipe. I shared this recipe for a Bridal Shower Recipe Card because it’s easy and delicious and no special ingredients. Perfect for a new Bride. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
That’s a great idea! Sharing to brides! Love it!
I made this for my sister and her family. She just had surgery and was unable to cook. They really enjoyed it. Thank you for this recipe.
This is my favorite one pot spaghetti recipe there are many, many out there. I’ve tried a few but this is my favorite keep going back to this one. Thank you! 🙂
I love this recipe, the only problem with it is I eat too much heehee
Haha, I have the same problem!!
I never went back to making spaghetti another way after trying this recipe!!
love this one pot recipe. my husband and I enjoy it. I did add can of petite Italian style tomatoes drained some of juice off and added a can of pieces and stems mushrooms