One pot pasta recipes are the solution to the question, What am I going to make for dinner tonight? Quick, easy, and with minimal clean up, you’ll be making these one pot pasta recipes your go-to dinner plan.
My family loves pasta: spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, rigatoni, fettuccine, you name it. There’s something so satisfying about a big bowl of pasta smothered in sauce.
But then the dishes! That big old pasta pot (probably the biggest pot you own, right?), a colander sitting in the sink, a frying pan that you used to sauté the meat and vegetables, maybe a saucepan for simmering the sauce, all stuff you usually can’t stick in the dishwasher.
Aargh! Kind of makes you want to order carry-out, doesn’t it? Hmmm, maybe you should have had that extra glass of wine at dinner after all…
But take heart! These one pot pasta recipes are going to make your life so much easier! They are made in….ONE POT! Did you hear it? One pot! Won’t that make clean up so much easier? You are going to love it! The pasta cooks right in the sauce.
So, now you may be wondering two things: how do one pot pastas measure up taste-wise, and how are they made? I can assure you that your family will love how these one pot pastas taste. Read on to find out how you can make a delicious, one pot pasta recipe for your dinner, maybe even tonight!
How To Make One Pot Pasta Recipes
You’ll see more than 20 recipes below but here are the basic principles:
Sauté meat (ground turkey, ground beef, bite sized pieces of chicken, sausage, etc.). Add chopped vegetables like onions, garlic, carrots, or whatever you like. Cook until nearly tender. If you like to add greens (spinach, kale, etc.) to your pasta, wait for these. They’ll be added a little later.
Next, add your sauce ingredients, such as tomatoes, wine, broth, water. It will seem like a lot of liquid at first but don’t worry, the pasta will absorb it as it cooks. Bring it all up to a simmer.
Add the dry pasta of your choice, uncooked. This is the good part: the pasta cooks right in the sauce! You know how a lot of recipes tell you to save a cup or so of the pasta water to put into your sauce? The reason you do this is because the cooking water is full of starches from the pasta. The starch thickens up your sauce and makes it slightly creamy. In one pot pasta recipes, the pasta is cooking in the sauce so that starchy goodness stays right in there.
Cover the pan. Give your pasta a stir pretty frequently to keep it cooking evenly and to prevent it from sticking together or sticking to the bottom of the pan. At the end of the cooking time, turn the heat off, leaving the pan covered, and let the pasta rest for a few minutes.
Best Pan for making One Pot Pasta
Use the right sized pan. You’ll be cooking everything in one pot so it has to be big enough to accommodate all the ingredients, including quite a bit of liquid to cook the pasta. One pot pasta recipes just won’t work in a pan that’s too small. Your pasta will boil over and you’ll be cleaning up a big mess on your stove top.
You’ll need a pan with a lid. This is important. The steam in a covered pot helps the pasta cook evenly even if it’s not all completely submerged in liquid the entire time.
Pan suggestions:
- Dutch oven – The Dutch oven (otherwise known as French oven) is such a workhorse in the kitchen! This is the perfect pot for these types of recipes. A bonus is that they’re often oven-safe, so if you want to broil the top to crisp up pasta or melt cheese, it can go straight from the stove to the oven.
- Deep, straight sided skillet – You can’t go wrong with one of these pans! I use my deep skillet for so many things, but it’s especially great for one pan pasta recipes.
- Instant Pot – You’ll notice that some of the recipes are made in an Instant Pot. The great part about those is that you don’t have to stir while the pasta cooks! The pressure in the Instant Pot cooks everything evenly.
What to serve with one pot pasta
The great thing about these recipes is that they usually provide an entire meal (protein, carb, veggies) in one pot, so sides are optional. If you want to choose a side, pasta is endlessly versatile, so it’s easy to find a side that will go great with it. Here are some ideas if you’re looking for side dishes:
- Classic Garlic Bread
- Chive Bread (dare I say, I like this better than garlic bread?!)
- Classic Green Salad with Homemade Healthy Ranch Dressing or Homemade Italian Dressing
- The Best Arugula Salad Recipe — a very simple, classic salad
- House Salad
- Tomato Bruschetta
- Crusty bread served with Bread Dipping Oil
One Pot Pasta Recipes
Easy Skillet Lasagna Recipe
Stovetop Mac and Cheese
American Goulash
One Pan Creamy Chicken Spaghetti
Mexican Spaghetti
Rasta Pasta
Instant Pot Pasta with Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes
Skillet Gnocchi with Chicken and Tomato Sauce
Creamy One Pan Gnocchi with Sausage and Zucchini
Pasta Amatriciana (one pan!)
One Pot Vegetarian Orzo with Sundried Tomatoes
Homemade Hamburger Helper
Chicken Marsala Pasta Recipe
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta Recipe
Easy Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli – One Pan!
One Pan Mediterranean Chicken Recipe
Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs (turkey meatballs)
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese (one pan!)
One Pan Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese with Beer
One Pan Rigatoni with Creamy Red Wine Tomato Sauce
Pizza Pasta – One pan, 20 minutes!
Taco Pasta Recipe (One Pot)
Instant Pot Pasta with Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes
Instant Pot Lemon Pasta with Chicken Recipe
One Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
DEAR RACHEL, YOUR RECIPES LOOK DELICIOUS. I WILL BE MAKING A FEW OF THESE FAVORITES FOR THE FAMILY DURING THIS SUMMER. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH RACHEL.
SINCERELY AND APPRECIATIVELY YOURS,
ROGER
Thank you so much! I hope you love them all!
Rachel I like your squad recipe spaghetti do I have to pit salt and pepper on it my family can’t have salt and they don’t like it thanks Jennifer
You can leave salt and pepper out of any recipe if that’s what your family is used to. :)
I do love one pot pasta dishes for a quick, but hearty meal, and without processed things like canned soup.
Same! They’re such a lifesaver!