One Pot Spaghetti

One Pot Spaghetti is truly made in ONE pot.  No boiling the pasta separately; it cooks right in the homemade sauce, soaking up all the mouthwatering flavors!  You’re left with a pot full of the best spaghetti, and one that your family will be asking for time and time again!

Looking for other one pot meals?  Check out my Creamy Garlic Chicken Breasts, Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice, Chicken Parmesan Pasta, and French Onion Smothered Pork Chops!

ONE POT SPAGHETTI

This is THE spaghetti you guys.  The one that my 6 year old requested for his birthday meal.

I told him we could go out to eat somewhere or I could make him anything he wanted… and he picked this one pot spaghetti!

And what’s not to love?  A delicious homemade sauce simmers away while the pasta cooks right in the same pot… leaving the pasta positively brimming with flavor, and you with only ONE pot to wash afterwards!

HOW TO MAKE ONE POT SPAGHETTI

If you’ve made any other one pot pastas before (if you haven’t, check out some of my favorites!), you know it’s not complicated at all, which is one of the reasons I love them so much.

• Cook onion and garlic in oil to soften.
• Add tomatoes and mash, then add in broth.
• Season, and add pasta.
• Cook, covered, until pasta is tender, stirring often.
• Stir in cheese and serve!

COOKING TIPS FOR THIS SPAGHETTI RECIPE

• Use whole tomatoes – if you like a more rustic, authentic pasta sauce, go for the whole plum tomatoes and crush them yourself.  I like to use my potato masher for this… it makes quick work of the job, and keeps my hands clean.
• Use the right length pasta – unless your pan is really wide, you might want to break the spaghetti in half.  My grocery store sells a package of “pot ready spaghetti” which is shorter than the traditional spaghetti and fits without having to break it.
• Stir, stir, stir – pasta has a tendency to stick to the bottom of it’s cooking vessel, and this recipe is no exception.  Keeping the cooking temperature low enough that the liquid is just simmering, and stirring often, should keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, and from sticking to each other.

VARIATIONS OF ONE POT SPAGHETTI

• Spaghetti with Meat Sauce – Brown 1/2 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage (or a mix of both) in pan.  Drain if needed and continue with Step 1 of recipe.  You may find you need to add a bit extra of the chicken broth to make a thinner sauce to account for the added meat.
• Spaghetti with Meatballs – I like to use the meatballs from this Meatball Parmesan recipe.  Follow steps 1-5 of the linked recipe to make the meatballs, then bake at 400 F degrees for 25-30 minutes.  You can brown the meatballs in a pan if you prefer that method.  Continue with Step 1 of this recipe.  You may wish to increase the broth by 1/3 cup to allow sauce to coat the meatballs.
• Spaghetti with a Creamy Tomato Sauce – Reduce chicken broth by 1/4 cup, and add 1/4 cup of heavy cream.  Cook recipe as directed.

MAKING SPAGHETTI AHEAD OF TIME

I’ve found that pasta made ahead of time doesn’t taste as good as it does when fresh, so I don’t really advise making this recipe ahead of time.

You can, however, prep ahead of time.  Mince the onion and garlic, measure out seasonings, grate the Parmesan cheese, etc.

STORING ONE POT SPAGHETTI

Any leftovers should be covered, refrigerated, and used within 2-3 days.

When reheating, add a tiny splash of chicken broth to moisten the pasta.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH SPAGHETTI

• Cheesy Garlic Bread
• Meatball Parmesan
• Caesar Salad

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

• 12″ wide skillet – I love this pan, and use it all the time!

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One Pan Spaghetti

5 from 9 votes

Author: The Chunky Chef

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Calories: 323

Servings: 8 servings

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Delicious weeknight spaghetti dinner made entirely in one pan!

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 Tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion, minced
• ▢ 8 - 10 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes (I like Muir Glen or Red Gold brands)
• ▢ 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (reduced sodium is preferred)
• ▢ 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried basil
• ▢ 1/4 tsp black pepper
• ▢ pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• ▢ 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 16 oz dry spaghetti pasta
• ▢ 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢ minced fresh basil for garnish
• ▢ additional grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

• Heat a wide, deep skillet or dutch oven over MED-LOW heat. Add olive oil, onion and garlic, and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and mash until desired consistency is reached. Add chicken broth and stir to combine. Increase heat to MED-HIGH / HIGH and bring to a boil.
• Add Italian seasoning, salt, thyme, basil, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Add pasta and stir to combine well.
• Reduce heat until liquid is simmering, cover and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes to prevent pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• After 8-10 minutes, most of the liquid should be absorbed and pasta should be tender.
• Stir in Parmesan cheese. Serve hot, topped with fresh basil and additional Parmesan if desired.

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Chef Tips

1. For a meat sauce, feel free to brown some ground beef or Italian sausage before cooking the onion and garlic.  Drain meat if needed, then continue with step 1 of the recipe.
2. For meatballs, I like to bake my meatballs using this recipe, but you can brown them if you prefer.  Follow steps 1-5 in the recipe linked above, then bake for 25-30 minutes.  Increase the chicken broth by 1/3 cup to make more of a sauce to coat the meatballs.

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Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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