One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce – a quick weeknight version of classic homemade spaghetti that is made in one pot and tastes like it’s been cooking all day!
One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
This one pot spaghetti dinner is a classic comfort food that takes less than 30 minutes to make and everyone in the whole family will love. Hearty ground beef in a flavor-packed homemade red sauce with tender spaghetti noodles. I use a combination of fresh herbs, dried herbs, and low-sodium chicken broth to create a one-pot dish that tastes like it’s been cooking all day. The secret to a successful one-pot spaghetti pasta is to use the pot-sized (sometime called half-size) spaghetti noodles. The pot-sized noodles fit easily in the pot and don’t get stuck together cooking in the sauce. Serve with a simple salad and garlic bread.
Ingredients for One Pot Spaghetti
- Olive Oil – to sauté the garlic and onion.
- Onions – diced yellow onion.
- Garlic – freshly minced for best flavor.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes– to add a hint of spice to the background of the red sauce, can be omitted.
- Ground Beef – use extra lean ground beef, 93/7 to avoid having to drain excess fat. You can also use ground turkey or Italian sausage.
- Chicken Broth – use low-sodium chicken broth to give the sauce the all-day cooking flavor. You can substitute beef broth as well.
- Canned Crushed Tomatoes – I like to use a higher quality can of crushed tomatoes like San Marazano or Cento. A jar of marinara sauce will work too.
- Tomato Sauce – to add extra body and flavor to the sauce.
- Dried Italian Herbs
- Fresh Basil – simmering a few fresh basil leaves in the sauce really adds to the flavor.
- Fresh Parsley
- Parmesan Cheese – fresh Parmigiano Reggiano to serve on top.
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
How to Make One Pot Spaghetti
- Sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat until they start to soften.
- Add garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté for another two minutes.
- Add ground beef, season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Increase to medium-high heat and break up ground beef as it cooks.Once ground beef is cooked through, add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and fresh basil leaves.
- Bring to a boil and stir in dried spaghetti noodles.
- Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook on low for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender. Serve with fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese.
Can I use a jar of marinara sauce in this recipe?
Yes, you can substitute a jar of your favorite marinara sauce for the crushed tomatoes. You can still add the tomato sauce to increase the sauciness or omit to from the recipe. I recommend using Rao’s.
Recipe Tips
- Use pot-sized spaghetti to keep the spaghetti from clumping during cooking.
- The recipe calls for 8oz of pasta which is half of a one pound box, not one cup of pasta.
- You can substitute any bite-sized pasta shapes for the spaghetti noodles.
- Make sure to stir the sauce and pasta occasionally while cooking to ensure even cooking.
One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce – a quick weeknight version of classic homemade spaghetti made in one pot and tastes like it's been cooking all day!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 cup onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 8 oz Pot-Sized Spaghetti uncooked
- 4 large Fresh Basil Leaves
- Fresh Parsley for sprinkling
- Parmesan Cheese
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In a 4 quart pot, add olive oil and sauté onions over medium heat until they start to soften. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and sauté for for another two minutes. Add ground beef, season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and break up ground beef as it cooks.
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Once ground beef is cooked through, add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, fresh basil leaves. Bring to a simmer and stir in dried spaghetti noodles. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook on low for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender. Serve sprinkled with fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan.
5 Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights
My five FAVORITE recipes for busy families!
- Quick to make
- Light on your budget
- Easy to clean-up
- and...most important...absolutely DELICIOUS
Beth
This is exactly the kind of recipe I love! Quick, easy, and delicious. You can’t go wrong with that. I’ll be making this one again.
Erin | Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
Just made this for dinner, and it turned out amazing! It’s a comforting and delicious meal that left everyone wanting more, so this will definitely make a comeback on our table!
Catalina
The One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce was not only easy to make but also incredibly tasty. It’s perfect for busy weeknights, and cleaning up was a breeze.
Sandra
This was just the perfect dinner to make last night! It was super easy and so yummy!
Janelle
Oh my goodness, this recipe was soooo good! My whole family loved it. Big win. Thanks!
Allyson Zea
I make this all the time and it’s so quick and easy!