One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce (Easy Recipe)

This One Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce recipe cooks in a large pot or Dutch oven for an easy meal the whole family loves. This one pot pasta is ready in just 30 minutes with easy clean-up too!

Easy One Pot Spaghetti Recipe

One pot pasta recipes are perfect for a quick dinner on busy weeknights because they’re quick, easy, kid friendly, and you only have one pan to wash, so fewer dishes to do. I love one pot meals!

Once you see how easy it is to cook spaghetti directly in the sauce, you’ll never want to cook it any other way! You cook the spaghetti in the sauce, not boiling water.

I came up with this one-pot spaghetti recipe after a few of you wrote in asking for a stove top version of my Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce.

Spaghetti snobs (I used to be one) may disagree, but believe me, this one-pot meal is a great recipe that saves you a few steps, and it works! And sometimes, we just need easy comfort food. All you need to make this easy spaghetti dinner is a large pot or large Dutch oven — and a stove!

Serve spaghetti and meat sauce with a green salad and crusty bread or garlic bread, for a complete meal in minutes!

Dutch Oven Spaghetti Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients for this Dutch oven spaghetti recipe. You can find them in your grocery store:

• Yellow onion — or white onion, chopped
• Olive oil — to cook the onion
• Lean ground beef — no draining needed!
• Spaghetti — 16 ounces. Break spaghetti noodles in half so they cook evenly
• Spaghetti sauce — I love Rao’s marinara sauce, but any brand works
• Diced tomatoes — adds texture and additional liquid without watering down the sauce
• Water or beef broth — to help cook the pasta
• Seasonings — Italian seasoning, sea salt, garlic powder, ground black pepper and optional red pepper flakes

How to Make One Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

First, you cook the onions in some olive oil over medium heat until they’re slightly soft, and then, you brown your ground beef.

There’s no need to cook the ground meat all the way because it will finish cooking with the pasta.

If there’s a lot of grease, you can drain it. I use lean ground beef, so I usually skip this step. Next, season the meat, and you’re ready for the pasta.

You’ll need to break the uncooked spaghetti in half so that it cooks evenly and doesn’t clump together.

Then, add your uncooked spaghetti to the pot, and pour in spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes and water. Cook over medium-high heat until sauce starts to boil. Then, reduce heat to medium while the pasta cooks.

If you want even more flavor for your spaghetti, you can use beef broth or chicken broth instead of water. Or, you can add a little red wine to really take this spaghetti dinner to the next level!

You do need to keep an eye on the pasta and stir frequently so that the spaghetti doesn’t clump together or stick to the bottom of the pot.

Cook Time

Cook pasta until al dente, which is about 12 to 15 minutes. Total cooking time for this recipe is about 30 minutes, including time to cook the ground meat.

As soon as the pasta is cooked al dente or to your liking, you’re done!

I like to sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley over the top before serving. Doesn’t this look gorgeous?!

I use kitchen tongs to lift the spaghetti out of the pot directly to people’s plates. Honestly, you guys, this one pot spaghetti is a lifesaver on busy days!

My kids absolutely love this flavorful spaghetti with meat sauce. It has amazing flavor, and it works so well for feeding them before they head off to football or soccer or dance. This is also a great Dutch oven recipe for camping!

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Store leftover spaghetti in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should last for 3 to 4 days. Reheat cold spaghetti in the microwave or on the stove until hot and steaming. You may need to add a little more pasta sauce when reheating.

The leftovers heat up well, and you can freeze larger amounts for later. Just place pasta in freezer safe containers or zip top bags, and use within 3 months for best taste.

Substitutions and Variations

Use Italian sausage in place of ground beef or use half sausage half beef. You can use your favorite pasta shape in place of spaghetti noodles. Gluten free pasta works here.

Use homemade sauce (try my homemade spaghetti sauce)or your favorite brand of jar sauce and your favorite spices. Fresh herbs like basil add wonderful flavor. You can also add more marinara sauce or tomato sauce and omit the diced tomatoes.

Sub 1/2 cup red wine for 1/2 cup water or broth for extra flavor. Add fresh veggies like fresh spinach, bell pepper, kale, zucchini or broccoli. This is a great way to sneak more veggies into your kids’ meals.

For a low fat option, use ground turkey. You can also leave the meat out for vegetarian pasta.

Recipe Tips

Note — This spaghetti recipe calls for 16 ounces of spaghetti — a regular package, as opposed to 8 ounces. It makes a lot of pasta, but it’s perfect for leftovers, and it freezes well for later — easy meal prep!

Break spaghetti noodles in half so they don’t clump together. Also, stir the pasta frequently as it cooks.

This recipe works best with 24-26 oz jar of spaghetti sauce. If you are using a larger jar of sauce, you may want to skip the can of tomatoes.

More Easy One Pot Pasta Recipes

I love one pot recipes and Dutch oven recipes! Try One Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta, or One Pot Creamy Shells and Beef or One Pot Creamy Kielbasa Tortellini. plus even more easy recipes your family will love.

I hope you enjoy our family favorite spaghetti recipe as much as we do. My kids say this delicious dinner is the best one pot spaghetti recipe ever! If you love this delicious recipe as much as we do, please leave a star rating and comment.

Sign up for the weekly newsletter to get easy dinner recipes and more sent to your email address.

Recipe published in 2019 and updated in 2024.