This easy one pot spaghetti recipe couldn’t be simpler! The meat, sauce, and pasta all cook together in one pot for the perfect spaghetti dinner!
Growing up, spaghetti was always a go to recipe for my parents.
It was actually never one of my favorites, probably because we ate it fairly often.
My parents went with the route of a box of spaghetti noodles, a bit of ground beef, and a jar of spaghetti sauce.
That’s fine. It tastes okay. I’m not needing anyone to spend 30 hours slaving over a pot of simmering tomato sauce, but I just don’t get super excited about that recipe, you know?
My kids, however, LOVE spaghetti and would happily eat it all the time.
Between my baked spaghetti, chicken spaghetti, and our taco spaghetti recipe, we do a fair amount of spaghetti in this house. 😉
This one pot spaghetti is perfect for busy nights – you brown the beef, dump in the sauce ingredients, and add the dry noodles right to the sauce! As they cook in the sauce, they soak up all the flavors and the mixture thickens up and turns into the perfect one pot spaghetti dinner!
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes:
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Noodles – We’re using spaghetti noodles, but you could switch things up and use fettucine or linguine, if that’s what you have on hand.
Spaghetti Sauce – We’re using a mixture of tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and water to make our sauce.
Seasoning – Add flavor by stirring in onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning.
Ground Beef – I always use ground beef in my spaghetti, but you can use a mix of beef, veal, sausage – whatever you like!
Topping – To finish this one pot spaghetti recipe you’ll top it of with some Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley!
Why should you add sugar to spaghetti sauce?
A pinch or two of sugar helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes and balances out the flavors of the sauce. We’re just using a small amount, so not too worry – your spaghetti sauce won’t taste like dessert!
What Readers are Saying!
“This recipe is awesome! I used to just boil noodles and add ground beef to some jarred spaghetti sauce and call it a day – this is MUCH tastier and even easier because it’s all done in one pot. Even my Italian boyfriend gave it a thumbs up.” – Alison
How to Make One Pot Spaghetti:
Beef: Brown the beef, onions, and garlic until cooked through.
Spaghetti Sauce: Stir in the tomato sauce, undrained canned tomatoes, and some water.
Season: Stir in the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and sugar and bring the sauce to a boil.
Spaghetti Noodles: Add the noodles directly to the boiling sauce. We break them in half to make sure they fit nicely. Cook until al dente.
Serve: Stir the spaghetti to make sure everything is all mixed up and then stir in some shredded Parmesan and minced parsley before serving.
Helpful Tip!
Spice up your sauce by stirring in some red pepper flakes!
FAQs:
Store your leftover spaghetti in the fridge, tightly covered, for 3-5 days. Reheat in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
Be sure to use fresh ingredients, like onion and garlic. Stir in a splash of red wine. Add fresh herbs to taste. Drop a pat of butter into the finished spaghetti before serving – the richness of the butter is delicious!
Serving Suggestions:
Nothing beats a pile of spaghetti served alongside our cream cheese garlic bread.
Serve next to our fresh vegetable salad or make a green salad topped with our keto ranch dressing or this homemade Italian dressing.
MORE PASTA RECIPES!
- Homemade Alfredo Sauce
- Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti Squash (Low Carb)
- Air Fryer Pasta Chips
- Amish Egg Noodles
- Feta Pasta
- Creamy Garlic Pasta
- Monterey Chicken Spaghetti
One Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 15 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 2 3/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 12 ounces dried spaghetti noodles
- 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Add the ground beef and onion to a large dutch oven over medium heat and cook until browned. Drain the grease.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, undrained canned tomatoes, and water. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Once boiling, break the spaghetti in half and add to the pot. Stir to submerge the noodles in the liquid.
- Return to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes or until noodles are cooked through.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese and parsley over the top and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in February 2018. It was updated with new photos in February 2022.
Kathleen says
Let me start by saying I haven’t made the recipe. I just wanted to comment that I am so tired of recipes that tell you how much of something is in a serving, but not what size a serving is. The only way to tell would be to make the recipe, measure how much the recipe made (6 cups, or whatever), then divide that by the number of servings it says it makes. Too much trouble! If you’re going to the trouble of giving the nutrition info, then tell people what size a serving is!
Karly says
It’s pretty simple to divide a meal into equal portions, which is what we base our serving sizes on, rather than measure them by volume. I’ve done all of the rest of the work for you in creating the recipe, photographing it, writing up all of my tips and tricks, sharing it in a handy little recipe card, and providing the nutrition information. Please feel free to measure the recipe however you like if the way I did it isn’t suitable for you.
Patricia Campbell says
Could I make this in a slow cooker?
Karly says
We’ve never tested this in the slow cooker. I’m not sure how well it would work or what timing would be.
Kenneth King says
I always add 1/2 package of sweet Italian sausage to just about any recipe such as this one and brown it with ground beef….drain well. This from an old USMC-trained cook.
Carla says
Oh, that looks so delicious. I can use GF spaghetti. However, can I use more of the jarred sauce instead of the canned tomatoes, as I have diverticulosis and cannot have anything with seeds?
Karly says
Hi Carla, I’d probably add in an extra 1/2 cup of sauce or so to make up for the liquid from the tomatoes, but please know I haven’t tested this myself and that’s just what my starting point would be.
Amanda says
You inspired me to finally go and buy a Dutch oven. Wow! Can’t believe I waited this long! This recipe is hands down the best ever, the all in one definitely got it over the line too. One question, would it work with fresh pasta?
Karly says
Hey Amanda! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and you’ll love that Dutch oven! We use ours often. 🙂
We haven’t tried this with fresh pasta, but my guess is that it will take a lot less time to cook. I think you’d need to make some adjustments.
Carla says
I loved your recipe, but as an “old bat,” I do things the easy way.
I used “doctored” Prego Sauce.
I cooked about 3/4 pound of hamburger until it was no longer pink.
I set that aside as I boiled the water for the Linguini or Spaghettate waiting for that water to boil.
I cooked the Spaghetti,
or whatever noodles I chose to use, to be “al dente.”
I set that aside, drained, and with some olive oil added to keep it from sticking together.
I opened a jar of Prego, doctored it, and brought it a low simmer, and added the cooked hamburger.
I kept the sauce and the pasta separate, as some of the folks who were coming like more sauce, others like just a small amount of sauce.
See, Karly, I told you that I was a lazy cook, but after 63 years of cooking, you may, too. LOL
Kelly says
You changed so much that it isn’t this recipe anymore. Just doctored up sauce and pasta cooked separately like any other of the same. They cooking method is what makes this recipe what it is; a one pan, easy, heathy and quick pasta dish.
Mary says
I’ve made this as is and it is absolutely delicious! I wanted to try using red lentil penne as a replacement for the spaghetti. Would this adjust the cook time at all?
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! I’ve never cooked with that type of pasta, so I can’t say how it will affect cook time.
Mary Donahue says
I will not make any other spaghetti recipe or sauce again. And I did use Italian sausage and liked that flavor too. Thank you!!!
Karly says
Love to hear that!
Jessica Nechita says
My daughter is a vegetarian so I used a little over a lb of Impossible beef, and you wouldn’t even know the difference thanks to these simple but delicious flavors. It was so easy to make. I used a bit more than 3 cups of water in my Dutch oven, and let the tomato and seasonings simmer longer before adding the pasta. The pasta cooked for about 20m, and it was a hit! I will be making this a staple from here on out!
Karly says
Thanks, Jessica!
Deb says
Only spaghetti I make now. Delicious. I’ve learned to cheat a lil w some added tomato paste n water for the extra 8 oz of tom sauce, I usually jus have small cans on hand, but I like the richness it adds. I just add it to taste.
Karly says
So glad you like the recipe!
Carla says
You are a great Mom to cater to your vegetarian daughter.
Janine says
I have a question…if I use prepared sauce do I eliminate the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes?
Karly says
Yes you would, but I’m not sure if the amount of water will still be the same using prepared sauce.
David Jones says
I just finished eating 2 plates – this hit the spot. My first time trying 1 pot spaghetti and it is a game changer! Have a quick spaghetti dinner anytime, or for lunch as I did. Used grass fed 85/15 ( the ratio is important for taste and drained as instructed. All I changed was adding a couple extra garlic cloves, increased spices to taste, a little less salt and omitted sugar (personal preference). This really hit the spot, so quick and easy and easy cleanup. Would feed 4 hearty eaters, 6 regular portions, I can’t wait to put this in regular rotation and may not go back to traditional separate pot pasta, Took me more like 15 minutes until I got it to al dente perfection, next time I would break noodles into thirds. I used Kroger 25% reduced calorie thin spaghetti ( all I had on hand) and it worked perfect.
Karly says
Thanks so much for sharing what worked for you, David! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
David Jones says
Any idea if this can be doubled or has anyone tried it? Made again last night and definitely is 6 regular portions with salad and garlic bread. Was curious if could double for a larger party or would need to fix 2 pots?
Karly says
I haven’t tried doubling this one, so I’m not sure. My guess is that it will double fine. 🙂
Ann Winters says
This was wonderful! I am a 24/7 care giver for my husband so I cheated a little with purchased frozen meatballs (he loves meatballs) which made it even easier. Thank you!
Karly says
Great idea!
Julie says
Where do we get the recipe for the Monterey Chicken Spaghetti?
Karly says
Here you go: https://www.bunsinmyoven.com/chicken-casserole-recipe/ There’s a search bar in the upper right corner as well. 🙂
RAYMOND MAXWELL says
I loved your recipe very much also can you tell me where I can get recipe converter. Thank you
Karly says
Hi Raymond! So glad you like the recipe! I don’t use a recipe converter, so I really don’t have one to recommend. You should be able to google and find plenty of options though.