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One of the best pasta recipes that takes 20 minutes to make in one pot. Throw all the ingredients in a pot or pan and dinner is ready for the entire family!
One Pot Pasta Recipe
Pasta is the easiest homemade weeknight dinner for the entire family.
Home cooks loves easy Italian pasta recipes because it’s quick, healthy and made with a few ingredients.
How do you cook pasta and sauce in one pot or one pan?
One pot pasta is a time saver because the pasta is cooked right in the sauce, in your pot or pan.
This recipe yields delicious pasta as the spaghetti noodles soak up all the goodness of the ingredients.
This easy pasta recipes is quick and ready in 20 minutes.
It’s also one of the best pasta dishes ever!
There is only one pot or pan to clean up after the meal, making this one of easiest homemade pasta recipes ever!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Onion, garlic and tomatoes
- Chicken broth
- Uncooked spaghetti
- Salt
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full details on each ingredient.
Which Pasta Is Best For One Pot Pasta
You should use spaghetti as they will get cooked evenly.
Angel hair will work well too but you might want to cut down the cooking time by 1 – 2 minutes.
Thicker pasta like fettucine is not a great choice because they are thicker and harder to cook through.
Pot Or Pan
For the cookware, you can use a pot, for example: a Dutch oven, or a wide soup pot.
I like to use my skillet for pan pasta. For the best results, make sure your cookware is wide enough for the spaghetti noodles.
If not, break the spaghetti into halves so they are covered by the sauce while cooking.
If the pot or pan is too narrow, the pasta will not get cooked properly.
How To Make One Pot Pasta
Step 1. Heat oil in a wide skillet, pan, or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 3 minutes or until they start to brown. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian basil, and spaghetti.
Step 2. Press the spaghetti with a spatula to submerge the pasta in the liquid. If your skillet, pan, or pot is not wide enough, break the spaghetti in half before cooking. Cover with the lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. If the pasta is not fully cooked after 8 minutes, add a little more chicken broth, cover, and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 3. Uncover the lid, add salt, and turn off the heat. Top the pasta with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve immediately.
Cooking Tips
This is one of the best homemade Italian pasta recipes.
For the best result, please follow the cooking tips below:
- You can use a pot, pan or skillet for this recipe. I recommend a non-stick pot, pan or skillet to avoid the dry spaghetti from sticking to the bottom of the cookware.
- If you use a stainless steel cookware, remember to use the spatula to flip up the spaghetti so they don’t stick to the bottom.
- Add more chicken broth if the sauce dries up and the spaghetti is not fully cooked.
- For tomatoes, I recommend Campari tomatoes as they are juicier, sweeter and less acidic, making the Campari’s a top choice for this recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Trust me, there will be no leftovers.
However, in case you do, you can freeze the leftover spaghetti pasta in the refrigerator.
You may keep the leftovers in a plastic container, plastic bag, or a pasta bowl covered with shrink wrap.
To eat, reheat the leftover spaghetti in the microwave for 1 minute before serving.
This recipe is only 223 calories per serving.
What To Serve With One Pot Pasta
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Pasta Recipes You Might Like
- One-Pot Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes
- Instant Pot Pasta – Creamy Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
One Pot Pasta (The Best Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 oz. fresh tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon chopped Italian basil
- 8 oz. spaghetti
- 1/4 teaspoon salt , or to taste
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Heat oil in a wide skillet, pan, or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 3 minutes or until they start to brown. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian basil, and spaghetti.
- Press the spaghetti with a spatula to submerge the pasta in the liquid. If your skillet, pan, or pot is not wide enough, break the spaghetti in half before cooking. Cover with the lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. If the pasta is not fully cooked after 8 minutes, add a little more chicken broth, cover, and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Uncover the lid, add salt, and turn off the heat. Top the pasta with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- You can use a pot, pan or skillet for this recipe. I recommend a non-stick pot, pan or skillet to avoid the dry spaghetti from sticking to the bottom of the cookware.
- If you use a stainless steel cookware, remember to use the spatula to flip up the spaghetti so they don’t stick to the bottom.
- Add more chicken broth if the sauce dries up and the spaghetti is not fully cooked.
- For tomatoes, I recommend Campari tomatoes as they are juicier, sweeter and less acidic, making the Campari’s a top choice for this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious pasta. I used diced canned heirloom tomatoes including the juice plus one can of water. I had some tomato juice so I added about 1/2 cup. I used enough spaghetti for two servings. I added some IKEA chicken meatballs and chopped frozen asparagus during the last 10 minutes. It was very good. Love the one pot cooking.
Hi Elle, your version of one pan pasta sounds delicious, I love it.
How much and what type of shrimp please?
You can use shelled and deveined shrimp, 6-8 oz.
Just wondering if you’ve ever substituted veggie broth for chicken broth ? If so, was it just as good?
No, but it should be fine!
Very tasty indeed and a hit in our household. Thank you! I added wine like others suggested here too. Gives it that kick. Love your site!
Hi Yumcha mama, thanks so much for trying this one-pan pasta recipe.
Great recipe, Bee. Made it last night and it came out great :D -Joe
Awww thanks so much!
If I add shrimp to the recipe do I put in at the same time as all the other ingredients? This looks fabulous and I cant wait to try it out!
You can add towards the end as the shrimp cooks faster and you don’t want to overcook the shrimp. I would add towards the last two minutes.
Hi – This recipe looks amazing!! If I double the recipe, can I add a 28oz can of chopped tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes? And would I have to use less chicken stock?
Hi Jane, if you double the recipe, you will need to double all ingredients, or cook it in two portions.
Hello I just finished making one pot pasta. Love,love,love the recipe I used caned petite hunts chopped tomatoes 14.5 punch do not drain. I also added sauteed mushrooms to the onions and garlic. It was amazing, wonderful taste like something u get in an expensive Italian restaurant. Will definitely make again and again. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Yes, I agree. Thanks for trying my one pan pasta recipe, Dianna. :)
This was so delicious! There’s nothing better than pasta, especially with tomatoes and basil! Mine took about 18 minutes to absorb the liquid, absolutely yummy recipe!
I made this last night and think it’s a perfect recipe to use as a base for all sorts of options! I doubled the recipe (used tinned crushed tomatoes), added red lentils, white wine, a dollop of pesto and sriracha at the beginning, grated zucchini and carrot towards the end, and baby spinach at the end. My husband and I both loved it and the spaghetti cooked perfectly. I’ll be creating and cooking variations of this going forward and have already shared this with my daughters. Thank you!
Kate, yes you can make a variety of pasta from this one-pan pasta recipe. :)