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Yield: 4 – 6
Ready In: 30 mins
One pot pasta recipes are always my go-to on those absolutely crazy days, and dinner prep is incredibly quick and easy with this One Pot Rigatoni Bolognese! Everything cooks in one pot for quick prep and easy clean up – even the pasta cooks right in the sauce. Some call me a lazy cook, but I like to call myself efficient 😉For more one pot pasta recipes with ground beef, see my One Skillet Lasagna or my One Pot Cheesy Taco Pasta!
Recommended Equipment:
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 1 carrot (finely chopped)
- 1 celery stalk (finely chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 – 4 cups water (can use broth if you prefer)
- 1 can (28-oz) diced tomatoes
- 1 box (16-oz) rigatoni pasta (uncooked)
- Grated parmesan (to serve)
Instructions
- Brown the beef: Heat oil in a medium-large Dutch oven. Brown the beef.
- Cook the vegetables: Add the finely chopped vegetables to the pot with the beef and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until softened (about 2-3 minutes).
- Season and deglaze: Add the garlic powder, Italian seasoning and tomato paste to the pan. Stir until mixed in well. Pour in 3 cups water or broth, scratching the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the pasta: Add the diced tomatoes and uncooked pasta to the skillet, making sure to stir everything in until the pasta is covered with liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the pasta is done, about 10-15 minutes. Add up to one more cup of water during cooking, as needed. Serve with grated parmesan.
Nora’s Tips
Ingredient Notes:
Ground beef: I always use lean ground beef for this, but you can use crumbled Italian sausage in place of the ground beef if you prefer. Pasta: This recipe works with most pasta shapes that cook in around 10 minutes (I do not recommend instant varieties, or very small or thin shapes, they usually need less liquid to cook and the pasta will stay soupy), though I do love rigatoni a lot with bolognese sauceCooking Tips:
No pre-cooking the pasta! I always get comments on my one pot pasta recipes turning out soupy, and usually it’s because the pasta was pre-cooked – do NOT pre-cook the pasta! Chopping the vegetables: When cooking with little kids around, I like to get all of the prep work done ahead of time. Sometimes I even chop veggies during nap time in the morning! Here, you need to chop onion, carrot and celery. These are relatively easy to clean and prep. Did you know that it’s easier to peel an onion after rinsing it? It kind of sticks the peel together so it doesn’t annoyingly flutter everywhere. Chop everything quite small so it softens quickly during cooking. And to be even more lazy, I usually throw it all in my food processor and pulse a few times until it’s chopped up. So easy! Make sure to sauté the tomato paste for a few minutes: Stir the tomato paste into the pot and seasoning and cook for another minute – it is important to roast the tomato paste before adding any liquids, to give it a richer flavor.CAN YOU FREEZE THIS?
I always get asked if one pot pasta can be made ahead and frozen, or if leftovers freeze well. Personally, I tend to say no. Because the pasta will continue soaking up the sauce and you’ll end up with very mushy pasta. If you want to prep this before baby or in similar situations, and you don’t mind softer pasta, you can make this and freeze it in a casserole dish. Reheat in the oven at 360°F covered with foil for about an hour (no need to defrost). Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the casserole is piping hot all the way through.WHEN FREEZING A RECIPE, ALWAYS REMEMBER:
- make sure to use containers or bags suitable for freezing
- label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months)
- reheat until piping hot all the way through before serving
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH LEFTOVER PASTA?
Turning leftovers into a pasta casserole is the best way to reheat leftovers here. Refrigerate any leftovers in a casserole dish for up to 2 days. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes at 400°F, or until hot and bubbly.Note:
We have little kids, so this serves 6 for us. If you have bigger eaters, it’s closer to 4. Also, if you have teen boys, this serves 1 😉 Nutrition estimate is for 6 servings.Nutrition
Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 182mg | Potassium: 866mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2050IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 5mg
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My kids definitely don’t mind a few pasta dinners in a row, but to keep us from getting bored I always switch things up with plenty of different recipes. Some other favorites include my One Pot Pea and Bacon Pasta, my One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta (aka One Pot “Baked” Ziti) , my One Pot Mushroom Pasta or my One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce.
More ground beef recipes you’ll love:
P.S: If you tried this recipe, why not leave me a comment below to let me know how you liked it? I LOVE interacting with you and hearing about your experience with my recipe. Also, by adding a comment and star rating you’re helping Savory Nothings grow and get even better for you!
JD
I made this tonight and it was extremely good. I followed the recipe closely, using water with some added beef base and substituting tri-color garden rotini. The final result had a very rich flavor and I don’t see any need to tweak the recipe when I make it in the future. Thank you for this delicious recipe! It has been added to my list of husband-approved dishes!
Heather
This recipe was delicious! I used vegetable broth instead of water, and Morningstar beef-less crumbles to make it vegetarian friendly. My kids all loved it, even the picky one! I added red pepper flakes and fresh basil at the end. The noodles did take about 10 minutes longer to cook FYI. I will definitely cook this again.
Nora Rusev
That is so smart to make it vegetarian! And I’m glad you and your kids enjoyed it. The noodle cooking times vary so much across brands, crazy. Sorry yours took so much longer 🙈 I think I’m going to have to start giving instructions per pasta brand in my one pot pasta recipes, haha!
Jane Saunders
So fantastic. I often made stovetop pasta as a quick meal (which cooks the pasta in with everything) but had never thought to extend this hack to a bolognese before. Just what my weeknights need on a regular basis
Nora Rusev
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pasta, Jane! Thanks for your review, I appreciate it.
Emmalyn
Sorry to overrun you like this hahaha but another BF vote
Coming in. Just made this on a whim for lunch bc it looked so good and it was DELISH. Didn’t have garlic powder so use a little more Italian seasoning, and used beef broth instead of water. Boyfriend wholfed it down.
Thanks for sharing!!
Nora Rusev
Don’t be sorry, Emmalyn! Keep those comments coming, it’s always great to chat 🙂 I’m so glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed the pasta. And good call on the seasoning!
Alice E
Combing from buzzffeed too and def making this for dinner tonite. Looks so good! Is the celery mandatory? I know I have everything else at home and don’t feel like jumping into the store after work.
Nora Rusev
Alice, no it’s absolutely fine to make without the celery! If you have a green pepper by any chance, you can use about a quarter of that chopped up if you like the flavor (I would never eat it as-is, but I do really like it in some dishes with ground beef). But it’s fine to just skip it. Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do!
Jen
Just saw this on a buzzfeed post and would love to make this week, but wondering if I can sub in gf pasta? My son is celiac so we have to I am not one of those crazies wo do this voluntarily lol
Nora Rusev
Jen, yes you can absolutely! I heard from a friend that the gluten free varieties can get mushy a bit faster vs regular ones, so I would try and pick a more sturdy brand/shape. Make sure to check often and definitely start with 2.5 – 3 cups water and adjust from there. Hope that helps!
Phyl
Nora… do u use the juice from the big can of tomatoes or drain it? It does not say. I am making it now and getting to that point of adding the tomatoes. Guess I better check recipes for questions a day or so before I plan on making it
Thank you.
Phyl
Nora
Phyl, I usually do add it! Sorry if that wasn’t clear in the recipe. I hope it worked out for you?
Phyl
Nora
Thank you for responding. I did make it left out the carrots and celery only cuz I chopped so much yesterday for tortellini soup and failed to make extra but it was still good. I shared with a couple neighbors and they liked it also.
Thanks again.
Phyl