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One Skillet Spaghetti (aka One Pan Pasta)

Need a quick and easy meal for those hectic weekday nights? This family friendly One Skillet Spaghetti (or one pan pasta) is not only quick and easy, but also cheesy good!

Side view of a cast iron skillet with baked spaghetti and meat sauce and slice cut out

We’ve all been there. The kids are hungry and you are frazzled and then the dreaded question: “Mom, what’s for dinner???” And with my family of five, trying to find a quick and easy meal that EVERYONE enjoys is a huge challenge. 

My go-to-recipe when I don’t have much time to think or to prepare a meal is this one: One Pan Pasta. It’s a one pot spaghetti dish that has evolved into many forms over the years and it’s a staple in our dinner rotation.

Why is this recipe so great?

This skillet spaghetti dish is so easy to throw together and is so easy to customize for your own family. You can use any ground meat you have on hand. You can use an assortment of pasta, as well.

If you want to add more vegetables, you can! You can make the sauce chunk or smooth. And that creamy tomato sauce and melty cheese is crazy good! And the best part? It’s all made in one pan, making clean up easy as well.

It is so beloved and easy, I share a camp friendly version of this dish and prepare it in a cast iron Dutch oven. The recipe for that is in my camping cookbook, The Camp & Cabin Cookbook.

Overhead shot of a cast iron skillet with baked spaghetti and meat sauce and slice cut out

Ingredients you need

Labeled ingredients you need to make one pan pasta

Step-by-step directions

1. In a large oven safe skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, onions and ground meat. Break up meat and as it cooks, season with basil, garlic and salt.

Browning ground meat with onions and spices

2. When meat is cooked, stir in tomatoes, water and more salt. Stir often until spaghetti starts to soften, about 7 minutes.

3. Bring the sauce to a low boil and stir in pasta. Stir often until spaghetti starts to soften, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover skillet and simmer for another 7 minutes.

Adding broken spaghetti to tomato sauce with meat

4. Turn off heat and stir in cream, parmesan and mozzarella. Top with additional parmesan and mozzarella and place under the broiler until the top browns, about 3 minutes.

Skillet with spaghetti dish topped with cheese and ready for the oven

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQS

Sometimes you need a quick meal for those busy weeknights and this one pan pasta fits the bill. It’s fast, delicious and very family friendly. You can easily customize it to your family’s needs.

If you like this recipe, then you’ll love my bolognese pasta bake. So easy, even my college boys can make it!

pomegranate ecookbook cover and table of contents

If you are enjoying my recipes, I would love for you to sign up for my newsletter (and get my free pomegranate e-cookbook!) or follow me on Instagram or Facebook.

Yield: serves 6-8

One Skillet Spaghetti (aka One Pot Spaghetti)

Side view of a cast iron skillet with baked spaghetti and meat sauce and slice cut out

Need a quick and easy meal for those hectic weekday nights? This family friendly One Skillet Spaghetti (or one pan pasta) is not only quick and easy, but also cheesy good!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup chopped onion
  • 1 lb ground turkey or beef
  • 1 TBS dried basil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
  • 2 cup water
  • 8 oz spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat broiler to 500ºF and adjust rack to upper-middle position.
  2. In an oven-safe large non-stick skillet or cast iron, over medium-high heat and add olive oil, onions and ground turkey.
  3. Break up meat and as it cooks, season with basil, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt.
  4. Once meat is cooked, stir in tomatoes, water and ½ teaspoon salt.
  5. Stir in spaghetti pieces.
  6. Stir often until spaghetti starts to soften, about 7 minutes.
  7. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover skillet and simmer for another 7 minutes.
  8. Turn off heat and stir in cream, ¼ cup grated Parmesan and ¼ cup shredded mozzarella.
  9. Sprinkle top with ¼ cup grated Parmesan and ¼ cup shredded mozzarella.
  10. Place skillet in the broiler until the top browns, about 3 minutes.
  11. Let spaghetti cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Notes

Serving Suggestions: Great with ground sirloin or ground chicken, too. Mix it up with different kinds of pasta, too!

Cooking Tips: If your picky eater doesn't like tomato chunks, use your hand blender and puree your tomatoes until smooth. Then add to the pan. You can also substitute the canned tomatoes with 2 ½ cups of marinara sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 432Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 821mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 30g

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

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