One Pot Spaghetti is quick, easy, and on your table in 30ish minutes. Amazing flavor and minimal cleanup, perfect for a busy weeknight meal!
If you love spaghetti, be sure to try our Instant Pot spaghetti and 10 minute vegetarian easy spaghetti recipe.
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With easy clean up and less time, this one pot spaghetti recipe is so simple I bet you will never make it any other way.
Spaghetti and meat sauce cook in one pot for the most flavor packed dish. The perfectly tender noodles soak up all the spices creating an Italian meal cooked at home.
Pasta recipes always find a place in our weekly rotation! Shrimp spaghetti recipe, crockpot chicken spaghetti and Mongolian ground beef noodles are among our favorites.
Ingredients for One Pot Spaghetti
One pot spaghetti recipe is made with everyday pantry staples. A full recipe card is below.
- Ground beef: I like extra lean grass fed ground beef or organic ground beef for the most flavorful results. You’ll need roughly 1 pound.
- Beef broth: Extra liquid is needed because the noodles are cooked in the meat sauce.
- Marinara sauce: I used homemade marinara sauce but you can use any good quality jarred marinara sauce.
- Seasonings: Dried oregano, dried basil, salt and ground black pepper. Simple but adds tons of taste! You can also add Italian seasoning.
- Extra-virgin olive oil and fresh garlic: Lots of minced garlic in this recipe makes it taste as good as nonna’s.
- Uncooked spaghetti: You can use whatever you have on hand, white pasta, whole wheat spaghetti, or gluten free spaghetti.
- Parmesan cheese: Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. If you want a little kick, sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
How to Make One Pot Spaghetti Recipe
Here are step-by-step photos for this simple one pot spaghetti recipe. I love using my 6 quart Dutch oven for all of my one pot recipes!
- Sauté garlic: Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot on medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant. This won’t take long, stir constantly and do not burn.
- Cook ground meat: Add ground beef and cook. Break into small pieces with a spatula and stir often until no pink remains. Then drain any fat.
- Finish meat sauce: Add beef broth, marinara sauce, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Add spaghetti: Add broken uncooked spaghetti in layers, they should overlap each other. Use tongs to submerge the noodles in liquid and mix. Let spaghetti soften, then mix and submerge noodles again.
- Simmer: Place the lid on top, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir and check, once spaghetti is al dente it’s ready to serve.
- Serve: Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve hot.
Tips for Best Results
Here are some quality tips for the best one pot spaghetti in the world!
- Layer and stir the noodles: To prevent the noodles from sticking together in one big lump.
- Make sure to submerge the spaghetti: Noodles must be covered in sauce in order to cook and soak up all the flavors. Wait 1 minute to soften, swoosh them around more and mix.
- Do not overcook: Check after 20 minutes. Spaghetti should be al dente with a slightly firm texture, not mushy.
- Thin out the sauce: At any time, if one pot spaghetti looks thick, add extra broth.
- Season at the end: I used homemade marinara sauce, so if using store-bought marinara, maybe hold off salting the dish till the end.
- Add a pinch of sugar: If you feel like tomato sauce is too acidic and “something is missing”.
Variations
Here are some easy ways to mix it up and customize this one pot spaghetti recipe to your tastes.
- Add onion: Together with garlic and cook it for 3-4 minutes.
- Use other ground meat: Choose your favorite ground meat or mix a couple of meats together! Ground turkey, ground pork, ground chicken, Italian sausage and even ground lamb.
- To cook one pound of spaghetti: Use 5 cups of beef broth.
- Gluten free spaghetti: Cook for 15-20 minutes, start checking after 15 minutes.
What to Serve One Pot Spaghetti With?
I recommend to serve one pot spaghetti recipe right away for al dente pasta and more sauce. As pasta sits in sauce it absorbs it, which is OK just different texture.
For a home cooked, restaurant style meal we like to pair it with Caesar salad and Ukrainian garlic bread.
When I need to whip up a quick meal I like to go with a simple side dish like garlic green beans, steamed broccoli, cucumber salad, or easy sautéed zucchini.
How to Store and Reheat It
Store: Once cooled you can store leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Pasta generally does not freeze well, I always recommend not freezing it.
Reheat: In a microwave and add more marinara sauce if needed. Or add to a pot with a splash of water and simmer on low heat.
FAQs
Yes! All you need is a large pot with a lid deep enough for the noodles to be fully submerged in the liquid.
Yes. Use any other ground meat or omit meat all together.
Any spaghetti noodles will work. You can use white spaghetti, whole wheat spaghetti, or gluten free spaghetti. Capellini and thin spaghetti would be good also. Be sure to read package instructions as some cook faster than others and you don’t want a mushy mess.
Yes. As long as the noodles are completely submerged in the liquid you will have perfect tender noodles.
Spaghetti generally does not freeze well, the texture changes once thawed making it seem overcooked and flavorless. If you would like to try just make sure to use a freezer safe storage container and reheat in the oven for best results.
More Pasta Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot chicken pasta
- No boil pasta bake
- Zucchini ricotta pasta
- Chicken spinach pasta
- Chicken and whole wheat spaghetti
- Cottage cheese pasta
- Pasta caprese
- Healthy hamburger helper
Be sure to browse all of our healthy pasta recipes!
One Pot Spaghetti Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 pound ground beef extra lean
- 4 cups beef broth low sodium
- 28 ounces marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt optional
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 12 ounces spaghetti uncooked, broken in half
- Parmesan cheese grated, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot with a tight lid on medium heat and add olive oil. Then add garlic and cook for 15 seconds or until fragrant, stirring constantly.
- Add ground beef and cook for 10 minutes, breaking into small pieces with spatula and stirring often. Drain fat.
- Add beef broth, marinara sauce, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Stir mixture and bring to a boil.
- Add spaghetti in layers overlapping each other. Then using tongs, submerge them in liquid and mix around a bit. You can wait a minute for spaghetti to soften and do it again. Pasta has to be submerged. Place the lid on top, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until spaghetti is al dente. Stir and check.
- Serve spaghetti immediately while hot sprinkled with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate spaghetti leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To reheat, add to a pot with a splash of water and simmer on low.
- Freeze: Do not freeze. Pasta generally does not freeze well.
- Spaghetti: Any pasta will work – whole wheat, regular, whole grain, even gluten free spaghetti.
- Salt: I used homemade marinara sauce, so if using store-bought marinara, maybe hold off salting the dish till the end.
