One Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

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This crowd-pleasing one-pot spaghetti with meat sauce is the perfect dinner on a busy weeknight. With only one pot to wash, this dish is packed with a flavorful meat sauce despite using only simple kitchen staples.

This kid-friendly spaghetti and meat sauce comes together so quickly and easily. The spaghetti cooks right in the pot with the sauce, so there are no extra pots to clean up, making dinner time a breeze.

Overhead view of a skillet of spaghetti with meat sauce topped with parsley and parmesan.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Since the pasta cooks up in the skillet, all of the starch that the pasta releases stays in the pot, mixing with the tomato sauce, resulting in a delightfully thick and rich sauce.
Most of these ingredients are kitchen staples, so you'll likely be able to whip up this one-pot spaghetti with meat sauce without having to run out to the store!
It's super easy to make! Promise! You don't have to be a pro in the kitchen to whip this recipe up.

Ingredients You'll Need

Ingredients needed to make one pot spaghetti with meat sauce.

oil — you can use your oil of choice. I use olive oil.
onion — you can use as much or as little onion as you'd like. I use a small yellow onion.
carrot — the carrot adds some sweetness to the overall dish, but I also like that it's an easy way to add a bit of extra vegetables to the meat sauce as the shredded carrots practically melt into the sauce.
ground pork — you can use extra-lean, lean, or medium ground pork.
seasoning — this is key to a flavorful meat sauce! I use a combination of salt, garlic powder, dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. Make sure your seasoning isn't old and stale.
passata sauce — passata sauce is a tomato-based sauce that involves cooking fresh tomatoes, removing their skins and seeds, and pureeing the remaining pulp. The sauce is then strained to create a smooth, thick texture without any bits of skin or seeds.
chicken broth — I usually have chicken broth on hand (low sodium), but you can also use pork, vegetable, or beef broth. Avoid using just plain water, as you want the extra flavor from the broth.
brown sugar — for a little added sweetness to balance out all the flavors.
Worcestershire sauce — a couple of splashes help deepen the sauce's flavor.
spaghetti — depending on the size of your pot, you might have to break your dried spaghetti noodles in half. I use a 3.5-Qt braiser, so the dried spaghetti noodles fit across the pot easily.

How To Make This One Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce Recipe

Set of two photos showing carrots, onions, and pork added to a skillet.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion to the skillet. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes to soften, adding half the salt at the halfway point.
Add the shredded carrots and cook for another 2 minutes.
Push the diced onions and carrots to the side of the pan, creating an empty spot in the middle, and add the ground pork to the skillet.

Set of two photos showing ground meat cooked and pasta added to the skillet.

Season the pork with salt, garlic powder, dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried basil, and red pepper flakes.
Stir and break up the meat, first in the middle section, then mixing with the onions and carrots.
When mostly cooked, add the dried spaghetti noodles to the skillet.

Set of two photos showing all the liquid ingredients added to the skillet then cooked.

Add the passata sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet and cover with a lid. Increase the heat and bring the mixture up to a boil. Then, using tongs, and nudge the noodles around a bit to help the noodles cook more evenly. If any noodles are clumped together, try to separate them. Cover and continue to cook for 5 minutes, and repeat the process to separate the noodles around the sauce.
Bring the heat down to a simmer and simmer for another 5 to 6 minutes or until the noodles are cooked through.
Give the spaghetti and a good mix and garnish with fresh herbs such as parsley or basil as desired and serve. Top with grated parmesan if desired.

Overhead view of a bowl of one pot spaghetti with meat sauce with parmesan on top and a fork tucked in.

Recipes Variations

You can use another ground meat or a mixture of ground meat if you don't have enough ground pork on hand.
Add additional veggies to the pasta. You can saute bell peppers with the onions or add frozen peas, spinach, or kale to the sauce near the end.
You can add sprigs of basil to the sauce to simmer and discard is before serving for additional basil flavors.

Tips and Notes

I use a 3.5-Qt braiser, so the dried spaghetti noodles fit across the pot easily. However, if you're using a pot that has a smaller surface area, you can break the spaghetti noodles in half to fit them in the pot.
This spaghetti and meat sauce pairs well with air fryer garlic bread, brussels sprouts with bacon, skillet cornbread, and bacon tomato soup.

Overhead view of a skillet of one pot spaghetti with meat sauce with a pair of tongs in the skillet.

How do I store leftover spaghetti?

I store my spaghetti and meat sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can reheat leftovers in a skillet or microwave.

How do I freeze spaghetti and meat sauce?

I like to freeze my spaghetti in one-cup portions, so I can grab single servings as needed straight from the freezer. I use Souper Cubes to help with that. To cook from frozen, you can either thaw it in the fridge the night before, microwave it on high in the microwave until it’s ready, or reheat it from frozen on the stovetop with a bit of liquid. You can use code "CARMY10" to save 10% off Souper Cubes on their website!

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