One Pot Spaghetti
Tender noodles and a hearty meat sauce, simmered together in one pot and ready in under 30 minutes. Since the pasta cooks directly in the sauce, it’s extra flavorful. Easy, family-friendly, crammed with flavor, and ready in a flash.
This recipe was written for the Arizona Republic.
I realize this dish isn’t exactly traditional. Mostly because you need to “break” the spaghetti noodles so they fit in the pot – something that makes true Italian cooks cringe! But, it’s a necessary evil! And totally worth it because the pasta is extra delicious, and you’re left with one pot to clean.
I used store-bought marinara sauce, so choose your favorite! If you love the sauce, you’ll love this dish. I added a few ingredient to catapult flavor, but you can leave all the extras out.
What did I add to jazz up the sauce? Not too much – just some dried herbs, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. I think it really makes a difference, and you want a strong sauce since we’re cooking the pasta directly in the pot with everything else. But as I mentioned, you can leave those extras out and stick with your jar of marinara sauce.
You can used canned tomatoes instead of marinara sauce. If desired, swap crushed or pureed tomatoes for the store-bought marinara sauce. When using canned tomatoes, you might want to use the optional sugar, double the amount of tomato paste, and adjust the dried herbs to suit your tastes.
What should you do if your sauce is too thin or too thick? If your sauce is too thin when your pasta is ready, remove the lid and simmer for a few minutes, until the liquid reduces. If your sauce is too thick or reduces too much before your pasta is ready, add a little more beef broth or water.
You can swap in chicken, turkey, or sausage for the ground beef! Use what you have on hand, or what you and family prefers. For a vegetarian meal, simply leave the beef out!
One Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups beef broth
- 24- ounce jar marinara sauce, or 28-ounce can crushed or pureed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar, optional
- 8 ounces spaghetti noodles, broken in half
- Grated parmesan cheese for serving
- Chopped fresh basil or parsley for serving, optional
- Crushed red pepper flakes for serving, optional
Instructions
- Brown the beef in a large stock pot over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. If necessary, drain away any fat.
- Add the garlic, dried basil, oregano, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute, until the herbs are fragrant.
- Add the broth, marinara sauce (or tomatoes), tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar (if using) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Arrange the spaghetti noodles on top of the beef mixture, in a criss-cross pattern (don’t stir them in yet). Press the noodles down so they are submerged.
- Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir the pasta into the sauce, cover and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the pasta is tender, stirring every 5 minutes.
- Serve with parmesan, basil/parsley, and crushed red pepper flakes.