One Pan Spaghetti

At a glance

What stands out: One pan spaghetti cooks the pasta right in the meat sauce for a straightforward 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

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Do you ever get in the kitchen to cook dinner and wish you could just hit the straightforward 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 reliable for those nights when you want a dinner that’s straightforward, satisfying, and that your kids won’t reject as soon as they sit down at the table. One pan spaghetti is always a hit! We mean: how could it NOT be?!

5-Ingredient One Pan Spaghetti

The easiest pasta dinner. With only 5 ingredients and a single pot, dinner just doesn’t get much easier than this (except for maybe our baked ravioli!). And although you use store-bought sauce, adding browned meat and onions make it taste from-scratch!

Tried and true. This recipe is adapted from two reader favorites, our Mexican spaghetti and Instant Pot spaghetti. That’s how you know it’s going to be good! We have several one pot pasta recipes; in fact, we rarely cook pasta the “normal” way. One pot pastas are easier, faster, and we 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 straightforward that older kids can make it themselves, giving you a night off from cooking duties! (Kids love this spaghetti-style baked orzo, too. It’s reliable for little ones because you don’t have to cut up the long strands of spaghetti for them.)

Bex Said:

“So straightforward and fast! Our grandson gobbled it up and our husband had 3 helpings. Just enough left for lunch tomorrow!”

See More Reader Reviews

What goes in

• 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: We 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 we developed this recipe with store-bought jarred sauce in mind, you can also use our from-scratch 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, we recommend using traditional spaghetti for this recipe. We'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 we think you’re going to like it. Parmesan cheese is good, too.

How it comes together

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 we promise you won’t end up with a watery sauce.

Add the pasta. We'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. We break the strands in half before we 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.

Ways to change it

• 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 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 our 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 from-scratch chocolate pudding or straightforward pumpkin pudding. Flourless chocolate cookies are straightforward and fudgy, almost like brownies, or try cake mix cookies. You can use any flavor of cake mix and the cookies are straightforward to mix.

Keeping leftovers

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, we 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.

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 25 minutes
• Total: 40 minutes

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

Method

1. 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.
2. Add spaghetti sauce and water. Stir well and bring to nearly a boil.
3. 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.
4. When pasta has finished cooking, remove the pan from heat, taste and season with salt and pepper as desired
5. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top, if using.
6. 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 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.