Easy Spaghetti Recipe

10 minute Easy Spaghetti Recipe with tomato sauce, garlic, oregano and Parmesan. It’s quick and simple recipe for spaghetti everyone loves!

We also love this 30ish minute one pot spaghetti, Instant Pot spaghetti and shrimp spaghetti recipe.

This easy spaghetti recipe was created one of those moments when I didn’t know what to make, and wanted one of quick healthy dinners that everyone would eat. Well, we ate…and ate…and ate some more.

It’s a simple spaghetti recipe using a few basic ingredients and it turned out to be the best spaghetti ever and even easier than healthy mac and cheese!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Quick: No long-simmering sauces and it’s ready in only 10 minutes.
• Easy: It’s as easy as cooking your spaghetti, making the sauce, then combining them together. All you need is one pot!
• Budget-friendly: No high restaurant bills, save your money and your time and make tasty pasta dinner right at home!
• Tastes like a restaurant’s meal: The flavors come together so nicely, no one will believe it’s made with plain canned tomato sauce!

Ingredients for Easy Spaghetti Recipe

You will be amazed at how these simple ingredients make the tastiest easy spaghetti recipe.

• Spaghetti: Any pasta will work. I prefer to use whole wheat or whole grain noodles because they contain fibre and nutrients. If you use regular white pasta, please note the nutritional information will change.
• Tomato sauce: To make good spaghetti, you need a can of cheap, preferably low sodium, tomato sauce that reads “tomato sauce”. Not “spaghetti sauce,” not “pizza sauce,” not “pasta sauce,” not “marinara sauce.” Just “tomato sauce”.
• Parmesan cheese: I highly recommend using a block of fresh Parmigiano Reggiano and grating your own. Pre-grated Parmesan cheese in a shaker contains cellulose as a filler and does not taste as fresh.
• Garlic: You’ll need lots of minced garlic in this recipe which makes it just as flavorful as a homemade spaghetti sauce.
• Olive oil: Use quality and extra virgin olive oil because you it adds to the flavor.
• Dried oregano, salt, and pepper: A simple seasoning to add to the sauce is all you need.

How to Make Easy Spaghetti Recipe

Here is a quick overview hot to make this easy spaghetti recipe. Everything cooks in one pot! That’s why I love my 6 quart Dutch oven so much!

• Cook spaghetti: Fill a large Dutch oven or pot with cold water 3/4 full and bring to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and spaghetti. Separate pasta with tongs a few times during the first 2 minutes of cooking to ensure it does not stick. Keep cooking uncovered for 5 more minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally.
• Drain pasta: Test the spaghetti for doneness towards the end by grabbing one strand onto a plate with tongs. Do not overcook until too soft. The key to tasty pasta is cooked pasta with a bite, al dente pasta. Drain in a colander.
• Cook garlic: Return the pot to medium heat and add olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, and oregano. Cook for 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Garlic cooks fast and can easily burn, so don’t walk away. Turn off the heat.
• Add remaining ingredients: Combine drained spaghetti, tomato sauce, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, ground black pepper, and 1 more fresh garlic clove in same pot. Stir gently until warmed through. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve this spaghetti immediately!

Tips for Best Results

Here are my top tips for the best easy spaghetti recipe in the world!

• Cook spaghetti in salted water: Don’t worry, you will not be eating 2 teaspoons of salt. Salted water boils faster than unsalted water, it also adds a ton of flavor to the pasta and prevents spaghetti noodles from clumping together.
• Cook pasta only to al dente: If it’s edible with a bite but not undercooked and hard, it’s probably done. This is what al dente means. No one likes mushy pasta, plus it will break apart when you go twirl it on your fork.
• Using gluten-free pasta: Gluten free spaghetti made with brown rice or quinoa will work but it does cook faster than wheat. So cook for shorter amount of time and watch it to avoid a mushy mess.
• Don’t reduce amount of garlic: That one clove of fresh garlic at the end is a must!
• To prevent garlic from burning: Turn off heat before adding the garlic and it will cook with residual heat rather than burning.

Variations

Here are a few variations to adjust this spaghetti recipe to ingredients you have on hand or your tastebuds:

• To add protein: You can add cooked ground turkey, chicken, beef, pork or Italian sausage. Saute it first after cooking the spaghetti but before sauteing the garlic, and transfer to a large bowl. If you’re cooking ground beef or pork, I also recommend to drain the fat. Then add to the recipe along with tomato sauce and cheese.
• Add some heat: Add up to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes along with garlic and saute.
• Fresh herbs: Add 2 or 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil or parsley. Or add 1 to 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme or lemon thyme. Fresh herbs and another wonderful layer of flavor!
• Cheese: Instead of Parmesan cheese use freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese. It’s harder to find but has very nice flavor!

What to Serve with Simple Spaghetti Recipe?

Garnish your cooked spaghetti with more freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil or parsley. This dish is flavorful so it will go well with a simple salad like simple butter lettuce salad or spring mix salad. Both of these salads will complete the concept of “easy dinner”.

For restaurant quality meal at home, add some nice crusty bread with olive oil bread dip or garlic bread and a glass of red wine.

To add some protein, make a batch of turkey meatballs or Instant Pot meatballs and serve on a side.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Refrigerate spaghetti leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To reheat, add to a pot with a splash of water or vegetable broth and simmer on low heat while covered for a few minutes.

You can also reheat it in a microwave without extra liquid for 30-60 seconds or until heated through.

Freeze: I don’t recommend to freeze cooked pasta. It becomes mushy and unappetizing once thawed.

FAQs

More Easy Spaghetti and Pasta Recipes

• Caprese pasta
• No boil pasta bake
• Crockpot chicken spaghetti
• Chicken and whole wheat spaghetti
• Ground turkey and broccoli pasta
• Mongolian ground beef noodles
• Alphagetti

Be sure to check out more of our healthy pasta recipes!