One Pot Weeknight Spaghetti is the perfect dinner solution for busy weeknights!
This is my last week of maternity leave, and I have mixed emotions. On one hand, I’m only returning to work two days a week, so I’ll still get plenty of time with Lars. On the other, I’ll have to get up early and wear something other than yoga pants and nursing tanks.
I’m also looking forward to a little adult interaction. Spending ten hours away from my little guy will be bittersweet, but the idea of not talking in baby voice all day sounds nice (though, realistically, it’s mostly me talking to myself).
So while I’m excited for autumn, I’m also feeling a touch of summer sadness about going back to work.
If you feel the same—excited for fall but mourning how quickly summer flew by—you’re not alone.
Regardless of summer blues, the signs are clear: kids are heading back to school, leaves are starting to change, and pumpkin-flavored items are everywhere. With cooler days, my craving for comfort food returns.
Beef stew, chili, casseroles, and spaghetti top my list. These days I’m always seeking ways to make them faster and easier without sacrificing flavor.
Before I had a baby, I didn’t much understand buying pre-made ingredients when I could make things from scratch. I knew the appeal of quick dinners, but my ability to do everything in 30 minutes back then is very different now.
Pre-baby I might have made a spaghetti sauce from scratch, garlic bread, and a salad in half an hour. Now, I appreciate the convenience of jarred sauce and pre-packaged salad kits (they really are great).
So when spaghetti night came around, I skipped the canned tomatoes and fresh herbs and went straight for the jarred sauce. To make dinner even simpler, I tried one-pot spaghetti: everything cooked in a single pot—the beef, the veggies, and the pasta. One pot to cook and one pot to clean. Genius.
This recipe is flexible. Omit the onion and pepper, add mushrooms, swap ground beef for turkey, or use gluten-free pasta—it’s all good. I’ve made it with gluten-free noodles before and it turned out great.
No matter the tweaks, dinner will be on the table in under 30 minutes. Spaghetti night has never been easier.
A quick note: you may need to add extra water toward the end if the sauce thickens before the noodles finish cooking. Add about 1/4 cup at a time, up to 3/4 cup total if needed. I used about 3/4 cup extra with gluten-free spaghetti. The thickness of the jarred sauce can affect how much extra liquid you need, so watch it near the end and adjust.
One Pot Weeknight Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper seeds removed and diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups water plus up to ¾ cup more, added as you cook
- 8-10 oz spaghetti noodles
- Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
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In a large pot, brown the ground beef.
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Remove the beef from the pot and set aside.
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Add olive oil to the pot over medium-high heat and sauté the onion and bell pepper until softened.
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Add the garlic and sauté for one more minute.
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Season with salt.
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Return the beef to the pot and add the jarred spaghetti sauce and 2 cups of water.
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Bring the mixture to a simmer, then add the noodles.
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Try to submerge the noodles in the liquid as much as possible.
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Cook according to the noodle package directions, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick.
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If the sauce becomes too thick before the noodles are fully cooked, add more water—1/4 cup at a time, up to 3/4 cup.
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Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
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Enjoy!
