One Pot Spaghetti

spaghetti made in one pot garnished with parmesan in a white bowl.

5 from 3 votes

Perfectly browned tender ground beef, flavorful marinara sauce, and pasta are all perfectly cooked together and then topped with lots of savory Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley to make this super easy 30-minute One Pot Spaghetti! It’s a delicious family favorite that is perfect for weeknight dinners!

Prep Time7

Cook Time23

Total Time30

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 452kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

6 Quart Dutch Oven

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef extra lean
1 medium onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cups marinara sauce 24 ounce jar
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cups beef broth low sodium
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces spaghetti broken in half
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Brown the meat. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add then add the ground beef. Now, cook the beef until it’s no longer pink, breaking it up as you stir.
Add the onion, garlic, and pepper flakes. Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the Dutch oven with the browned meat and cook for another 3 minutes or until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
Stir in the pasta, marinara, and seasonings. Stir in the tomato paste, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, sugar, beef broth, salt, and black pepper. Now, bring it all to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer.
Add the pasta. Add the spaghetti to the Dutch oven and press the noodles down to submerge them in the sauce, but DO NOT STIR. Yet, the pasta must be fully covered in the sauce to cook properly.
Cook the pasta. Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and cook for 15 to 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes. When the spaghetti is done all the liquid should be absorbed and the pasta cooked to al dente.
Garnish and serve. To serve, sprinkle the spaghetti with grated parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley.

Notes

Brown the meat well. You want to cook the ground beef before adding the other ingredients and not just toss everything in together. The brown bits on the bottom of the Dutch oven produced by cooking the meat add layers of yummy meaty flavor to the dish.
Submerge the spaghetti. For the pasta to be properly cooked it must be completely submerged in the pasta sauce. However, it’s important to push it down into the sauce, but not stir it in when it’s first added to the pot.
Don’t overcook the pasta. The spaghetti noodles do need to be fully cooked to al dente, but you also don’t want to overcook it or it will turn to mush. So keep an eye on the pasta towards the end. I always suggest setting a timer.

Nutrition