One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Make One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce on nights you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

This recipe is quick and easy to pull together with minimal prep and little clean up – but dinner will be so good, nobody will ever guess how quick it was to make.

You know those kinds of nights, right? When you really don’t want to cook. Or you really don’t have any time to cook. Or maybe even both. But you know the drill: We’ve got to feed those hungry kids!

Here is where this spaghetti and meat sauce recipe comes in handy: It’s quick and easy to whip up, yet tastes absolutely delicious. It’s similar to my Instant Pot Spaghetti (which is much loved by readers!), but cooked on the stove instead. Quick, simple and delicious – which really is all we need in a weeknight dinner!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Ground beef: Feel free to use ground Italian sausage in place of the ground beef. For a lean version, this is also delicious with ground turkey! I only had cheaper, fattier ground beef in the freezer when I made this. I definitely drained a lot of fat from it after browning. Usually, I’d go for lean ground beef here because I like the lighter taste better. If you use a fattier ground beef, I highly recommend draining the grease after browning your meat for a less greasy taste to the sauce.
• Spaghetti: Use any pasta shape you like (spaghetti can get messy with little kids!). Different pasta shapes may need different amounts of broth and/or different cooking times. Make sure to gradually add the broth and check on the pasta often if you’re not using spaghetti.
• Vegetables: Feel free to use different vegetables. I often add a shredded zucchini to this dish when they grow in abundance in the garden during summer. Adding a diced green pepper instead of the celery makes this feel more homestyle and less Italian, but I love it. You could even substitute finely chopped mushrooms for some of the ground beef. So many ways to make this your own!
• Tomato sauce: Since this dish cooks quickly, you really need the tomato sauce to make this come out right. If you only have diced or whole canned tomatoes on hand, please blend them using an immersion blender with 4 tablespoons tomato paste added before adding them to the recipe.
• Beef broth: If you only have chicken broth or vegetable broth on hand, feel free to use those. I highly recommend adding a teaspoon each of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to help with flavor and color if you’re not using beef broth.
• Red wine: Feel free to use more broth in place of the red wine if you need to avoid alcohol. The taste will be less rich, but it’s still delicious.

How to make One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

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1. Start by sautéing the vegetables. You’ll want to do this thoroughly and on medium heat in order to fully cook and soften the onion. Otherwise, the onion will retain its raw bite even once it has simmered in the sauce.

2. Next, you’ll want to add the ground beef and cook it until it is crumbled and browned. The more color you add here, the better the taste will be later! Feel free to drain off any grease after this step.

3. Now stir in the tomato paste and seasoning for a minute…

4. then stir in 2 cups of the broth and tomato sauce. We’re only adding 2 cups of broth at this point so we can gradually add more while the spaghetti cook – not every brand of pasta requires the same amount of liquid, and it’s much better to add more as you go vs ending up with soupy spaghetti.

5. Now add the uncooked (!) spaghetti, making sure they are covered with sauce. I also added a couple of basil sprigs for more flavor, but this is optional.

Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and allow to cook for around 10 minutes over medium heat. You’ll want to stir every few minutes to make sure the spaghetti don’t get stuck on the bottom.

Then, remove the lid and finish simmering until the spaghetti are done and the sauce has thickened. Serve immediately with parmesan cheese!

Recipe tips

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• To save time on vegetable prep: Either shred them on an insanely sharp Microplane box grater or pulse them in your food processor with the blade attachment until finely chopped. This is something I started doing for my skillet lasagna, and now I always use either the microplane or the food processor when I’m short on time but still want to fill our meal with vegetables.
• Do not pre-cook the pasta! It really does go in dry and uncooked. Thanks to the pasta cooking in the same pot as the sauce, the entire dish turns into a luscious and decadent dinner – without adding a ton of fat or doing much work at all.
• Browning the beef: Don’t stir too much as you’re browning the beef, or you’ll keep it form catching some color. This is really where you can add a ton of flavor without too much work, so I like to take advantage of it and let my beef brown properly.
• Do not skip sautéing the tomato paste: Quickly toasting the tomato paste vs just stirring it in with the broth helps to bring out so many flavors. Again, just a little trick to increase the flavor of a quick meal!
• Simmering: Make sure to use medium or medium-low heat to simmer the spaghetti (the liquids should be bubbly and simmering, but not cook vigorously). Stir occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom and gradually add more broth as needed. It’s done when the spaghetti is just ready and the sauce has thickened.

One Pot Pasta FAQ:

Finally, let me answer a few burning questions I get every time I share a one pot pasta dish:

Can I make this ahead?

I don’t recommend it. The pasta will keep soaking up liquid from the sauce, which leads to mushy pasta and dried up sauce.

OK, I’m exaggerating a little. It’s not the end of the world to eat one pot pasta leftovers, but I wouldn’t purposefully make this ahead.

What should I do with leftovers?

Even though I don’t love the leftovers from one pot pasta and never make this ahead on purpose, I usually still have some left.

Here’s a tasty way I found to revive leftover spaghetti and meat sauce:

1. Place the leftovers in a casserole dish
2. Sprinkle generously with shredded cheese – I like using a blend of parmesan and mozzarella
3. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, or until the pasta is piping hot and the cheese is bubbly

Can I freeze this?

Again, not my first choice.

But if you’re looking for simple freezer meals and don’t mind slightly mushy pasta, freeze it in a casserole dish. Reheat it in the oven, sprinkled with cheese, for a simple spaghetti bake.

My kids and husband both gobble this up without any complaints!

Serving ideas

There is a lot going on in this pot of spaghetti, so it’s not like any additional sides are a must. But I still like to round out our meal a little.

One of my favorite sides is a simple tomato cucumber salad, or a caprese cherry tomato salad on warm summer nights.

For a hot vegetable side, I’ll often go for sautéed zucchini or sautéed green beans (although lately I’ve been into air fried green beans!).

If you like to have a bread side with your spaghetti, my homemade garlic rolls are absolutely delicious with this. Or a hunk of crusty no knead bread – which basically goes with any meal.

I also have a full post dedicated to side dishes for spaghetti and meatballs, which pretty much apply here, too 😉

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

Recipe first published on 08/06/2018. Updated with new photos, better recipe and better text on 03/22/2021.

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