One Pot Skillet Spaghetti

One Pot Skillet Spaghetti recipe is a quick and easy weeknight dinner! Everyone loves spaghetti and this one won’t disappoint. This homemade spaghetti is prepared in one skillet for a one pot meal! The spaghetti noodles are cooked right in the homemade pasta sauce with ground beef which gives it an amazing flavor!

When I try a new recipe on my family, like this one pot spaghetti, I watch for any indication they love or hate it. Did they clean their plates? Go back for seconds? If it’s a yes and yes on those question I consider the recipe a win!

Just like my Baked Spaghetti Casserole, this easy one pot spaghetti recipe was a big hit with my family. But it also gets bonus points because you only need a few simple ingredients to make it. Trust me, you can easily make this dinner while entertaining hungry children without very much effort at all.

And, I don’t know about you but I HATE dishes. This is why I love my Instant Pot Spaghetti and this one pot skillet spaghetti for quick meals! I can’t wait to show you how easy this spaghetti recipe is and I’m pretty sure you’ll be adding it to your weekly dinner rotation! I mean, do we ever have enough easy dinner recipes?

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Why You’ll Love this One Pot Spaghetti

• This easy recipe cooks up all in one pot! Clean-up is so easy because you only need to wash up the prep dishes and that one pot.
• Easy one pot spaghetti is on the table in about 40 minutes. Quick and painless for weeknight meal.
• It’s seriously a dump in the skillet and simmer operation, and you end up with an amazingly flavorful homemade spaghetti that will have everyone cleaning their plates.

Ingredients for One Pot Spaghetti

• Ground beef – I recommend using lean ground beef so that your spaghetti isn’t greasy. You can also use ground turkey or ground chicken!
• Water – You’ll need water to help cook the spaghetti noodles in the pot with the sauce.
• Tomato juice – Feel free to skip these ingredients and use the same amount of pre-made sauce, but I love to make homemade spaghetti sauce in this one pot spaghetti recipe.
• Tomato paste – A little tomato paste will help make this spaghetti rich and delicious!
• Dried minced onion – Use some dried minced onion to add flavor to the sauce.
• Chili powder – I love chili powder for a bit of warmth and spice in this delicious recipe.
• Oregano – A dash of dried oregano is a great way to add herby flavor. You can also use Italian seasoning!
• Salt – Tomato sauce always needs salt to help balance out the flavor. But be careful not to use too much salt.
• Sugar – Balance the acid of the tomatoes with a little bit of sugar.
• Garlic salt – Using both garlic salt and regular salt will help flavor the spaghetti wonderfully.
• Spaghetti – Grab a box of your favorite uncooked spaghetti noodles at the grocery store. You can also use angel hair pasta.
• Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated parmesan cheese is the best finishing touch to your one pot spaghetti.

How to Make One Pot Spaghetti

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet and then drain the excess grease.
2. Add the water, tomato juice, tomato paste, and seasonings and bring the meat sauce to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat and add the uncooked spaghetti noodles. Then cover the skillet and simmer the pasta with the sauce and beef for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the spaghetti is al dente.
4. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top and serve.

How to leftover one pot skillet spaghetti

Store leftover skillet spaghetti in an airtight container.

FRIDGE: You can keep leftover one pot spaghetti for three to five days in the refrigerator.

FREEZER: Store the leftovers in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw before reheating.

Can you cook noodles in tomato sauce?

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Yes, you can cook noodles or pasta in tomato sauce! The only thing you have to do is thin the sauce with liquid. For this recipe, I used tomato juice to make the sauce because it’s thinner and that ensures the pasta will cook properly. I love that you can cook pasta and the sauce all in one pan.

Can I use something other than ground beef?

Absolutely! We love to use ground beef, but you can substitute other meat. Try using ground turkey, ground chicken, pork sausage or plain ground pork to switch things up. You can also leave meat out if you don’t want to make it with a protein!

What is al dente?

Al dente means “to the tooth”, which is just a fancy way of describing the ideal texture cooked pasta should have. When you cook pasta to al dente it means that it’s cooked, but still firm when you bite into it. It’s a good idea to test your pasta a few times while it’s cooking, once it’s cooked through but still has a somewhat firm texture it’s ready to serve.

What to Serve with One Pot Skillet Spaghetti

I love to pair this pasta with some fluffy homemade Olive Garden bread sticks or easy homemade breadsticks. Some fresh rosemary bread and a Greek salad would be tasty too.

You can also serve this dish with veggies like baked zucchini fries, roasted broccoli, and green beans with bacon.

One pot pasta recipes are a total game changer! If you love this meal then check out the ones below too.

More One Pot Meals!

• One Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
• One Pot Pizza Pasta
• One Pot Ham & Penne
• One Pot Mexican Spaghetti
• One Pot Chicken Alfredo