Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: One pan spaghetti cooks the pasta right in the meat sauce for an easy weeknight dinner. You only need 4 ingredients to make it!
How long it takes: 40 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet or Dutch oven with lid
Servings: 4
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItDo you ever get in the kitchen to cook dinner and wish you could just hit the easy button? This one pan spaghetti is the closest you can get without resorting to popping a frozen meal in the microwave. (No shame in that either!)
This recipe is perfect for those nights when you want a dinner that’s easy, satisfying, and that your kids won’t reject as soon as they sit down at the table. One pan spaghetti is always a hit! I mean: how could it NOT be?!
4-Ingredient One Pan Spaghetti
The easiest pasta dinner. With only 4 ingredients and a single pot, dinner just doesn’t get much easier than this. And although you use store-bought sauce, adding browned meat and onions make it taste homemade!
Tried and true. This recipe is adapted from two reader favorites, my Mexican spaghetti and Instant Pot spaghetti. That’s how you know it’s going to be good! I have several one pot pasta recipes; in fact, I rarely cook pasta the “normal” way. One pot pastas are easier, faster, and I love how the starch from the pasta is incorporated right into the sauce, making it just a little bit creamy.
Highly customizable. You can use this one pan spaghetti recipe as a starting point for all kinds of customizations and toppings. Feel free to make it your own! Keep reading for some ideas.
Kid-friendly. Spaghetti is always a hit with kids, and this one pan version is no exception. Plus, it’s so easy that older kids can make it themselves, giving you a night off from cooking duties!
Ingredient Notes
- Meat: You can use ground turkey, lean ground beef, or bulk Italian sausage. If you happen to have Italian sausage links, simply squeeze the meat out of the casings and crumble it as it browns.
- Onion: I use a yellow cooking onion for this recipe but if you happen to have a different type of onion you want to use up, feel free to substitute it. Cooking onions have a finer texture so they are less noticeable in the spaghetti, an advantage if you have picky eaters. You could omit the onion, too.
- Spaghetti sauce: Although I developed this recipe with store-bought jarred sauce in mind, you can also use my homemade spaghetti sauce recipe (you’ll need 3 cups). Choose your favorite type of sauce, whether it’s traditional, marinara, tomato basil, or even vodka sauce. It doesn’t need to include meat because you’ll be adding your own meat.
- Spaghetti: Because alternative pastas (like gluten-free) cook differently, I recommend using traditional spaghetti for this recipe. I’ve also made this one pan spaghetti with whole grain spaghetti, cooking it a minute or two extra, and it turns out well.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: The mozzarella cheese is optional but I think you’re really going to like it. Parmesan cheese is good, too.
How to Make One Pan Spaghetti
Brown the meat and onion. You’ll need a large skillet with a lid, or a Dutch oven, for this recipe. Set the skillet over medium-high heat; once it’s hot, stir in the ground meat and onion. Cook, chopping up the ground meat, until the onion is softened and the meat is browned (no pink remaining). If there’s a lot of grease in the pan, drain it off before moving onto the next step.
Add sauce and water. Stir in the sauce and water and bring the mixture almost to a boil. Don’t worry if it seems like too much liquid. The dry pasta needs a lot of water to hydrate and I promise you won’t end up with a watery sauce.
Add the pasta. I’ve found that it works better to add a big handful at a time, stirring it in before you add the next handful, so the spaghetti separates and doesn’t stick together. I break the strands in half before I add them so they’ll fit in the pan more easily.
Simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer with the lid on for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally.
Cooking Tip
When you’re stirring the pasta, if you notice the pan is getting dry but the spaghetti isn’t tender yet, you can add a bit more water. If the spaghetti is sticking to the bottom of the pan, reduce the heat.
Finish. Remove the skillet from the heat, and season to taste. Sprinkle the cheese on top if you’re using it. Add the lid to the pan and let the spaghetti sit for 5 minutes until the cheese melts. The sauce will thicken up just a little bit more as the spaghetti continues to absorb the liquid.
Recipe Variations
- Add more veggies. You can stir baby spinach or tender baby kale into the spaghetti at the end of the cooking time. It will wilt very quickly. Another option is to sauté diced bell peppers or sliced mushrooms along with the onions and ground meat, or fold in roasted broccoli just before serving.
- Make it meatless. Swap diced cremini mushrooms for the meat, or use your favorite plant-based meat substitute.
- Make it spicy. Add crushed red pepper flakes (start with a pinch and add more if you like) when you’re cooking the meat and onion. They’ll infuse the whole dish with heat.
- Broil the cheese. If you make this recipe in an oven-proof skillet, you can pop the pan in the oven and broil the cheese for a few minutes at the end to get a crispy, bubbly topping.
- Add fresh herbs. Chopped parsley or fresh basil can be added just before serving for extra flavor.
- Make it a casserole. Cook the one pan spaghetti as directed. Transfer it to a greased casserole dish, top with the cheese, and bake 20 to 25 minutes at 350°F until the cheese is melted. If you prefer, you could stir the cheese into the casserole, and top it with an additional half cup of cheese. (Take a look at this pizza baked pasta for more inspiration!)
What To Serve With One Pan Spaghetti
Bread. Texas toast garlic bread is a favorite around here, but you can’t go wrong with cheesy bread either.
Salad. A fresh salad is always a great accompaniment to pasta! Try my house salad or a classic panzanella salad.
Veggie sides. Keep it simple with air fryer broccoli, sautéed mushrooms, or your favorite veggie for pairing with pasta.
Dessert. If you like to end your meal on a sweet note, try homemade chocolate pudding or easy pumpkin pudding. Flourless chocolate cookies are easy and fudgy, almost like brownies, or try cake mix cookies. You can use any flavor of cake mix and the cookies are super easy to make.
Refrigerate: Transfer leftover one-pan spaghetti to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Although it is safe to freeze leftovers, I don’t recommend it because the pasta will be quite soft and mushy after thawing and reheating. It’s just not as good!
Reheat: To reheat, you can microwave individual portions or heat them up in a pan on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
More One Pan Pasta Recipes
One Pan Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey, lean ground beef, or Italian sausage
- ½ cup chopped onion (1 small onion)
- 1 jar (24 ounces) spaghetti sauce of your choice (or 3 cups homemade)
- 2 cups water
- 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken in half
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, optional
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet (that has a cover) or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground meat and onion, and cook until meat is browned and cooked through and onions are translucent, breaking up meat as it cooks. Drain grease if needed.1 pound lean ground turkey, lean ground beef, or Italian sausage, ½ cup chopped onion
- Add spaghetti sauce and water. Stir well and bring to nearly a boil.1 jar (24 ounces) spaghetti sauce of your choice, 2 cups water
- Add pasta, stir, reduce heat to medium low (should be simmering), cover and cook for 14 to 16 minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally to make sure pasta gets cooked evenly. Add more water if pasta seems too dry, but it should be a nice sauce consistency when it’s finished cooking. If it's sticking to the bottom of the pan, reduce heat a bit.8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken in half
- When pasta has finished cooking, remove the pan from heat, taste and season with salt and pepper as desired
- Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, if using.1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, optional
- Cover the pan, and let the spaghetti rest for 5 minutes. This will let the cheese melt, but also helps with consistency of sauce, so do it even if you’re not adding the cheese.
Notes
- Pro Tip: After you pour the sauce into the pan, pour the water into the sauce jar and give it a little shake before pouring into pan. You won’t have to scrape every last bit of sauce out of the jar and you won’t waste any sauce!
- Add more veggies: Stir baby spinach or tender baby kale into the spaghetti at the end of the cooking time. It will wilt very quickly. Another option is to sauté diced bell peppers or sliced mushrooms along with the onions and ground meat.
- Nutrition: The information below has been calculated using 93/7 lean ground turkey, with the added mozzarella cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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