One Pot Pasta
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The most simple and flavorful one pot pasta dinner with a short ingredient list. So good and so easy with minimal clean up!
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One of my family’s all time favorite meals and it’s so easy to make. The flavors are fantastic! I would definitely serve this for company as well.
reasons to make one pot pasta
- Perfect weeknight dinner. With one pot to clean up and the 5 min prep time, this no-fuss pasta dinner could not get any easier, perfect for those busy weeknights between homework and soccer pick up.
- Great for company. Not only does this come together lightning fast but this is also fancy (and impressive) enough to serve to company. They don’t have to know how easy this really is!
- Short ingredient list. The ingredient list is short, simple and budget-friendly. Not to mention, most items are already pantry essentials.
how to make the easiest one pot pasta dinner
- Add all the ingredients to a big pot
- Add water, salt and pepper
- Bring to a boil and simmer until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes
- Add fresh Parmesan, season with additional basil, salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and serve
tips and tricks for success
- Fresh basil is best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs in a pinch, fresh basil is ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor.
- Halve the recipe. For smaller portions to serve 2 people, this recipe can easily be halved as needed.
- Stir baby, stir. Be sure to keep an eye on the pasta, stirring as needed, to prevent sticking.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Add your finishing touches with a drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil, adding a smoother, silkier texture and preventing the pasta from sticking and drying out.
- Mix it up. Use chicken or vegetable broth in place of water (or half and half) for additional flavor, use different veggies (ex. zucchini for tomatoes) or sub a different kind of pasta such as fettuccine or penne.
what to serve with one pot pasta
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
One Pot Pasta
The most simple and flavorful one pot pasta dinner with a short ingredient list. So good and so easy with minimal clean up!
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cups halved grape tomatoes
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat, combine spaghetti, sausage, onion, tomatoes, basil, garlic and 4 1/2 cups water; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in Parmesan.
- Serve immediately, drizzled with olive oil.
Did you make this recipe?
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My cousin .makes this for my uncle and omg it’s amazing
Taste easy fast my husband dose not like pasta but he loves this one. It’s my go to pasta .
I just remembered this dish and looked it up to find it and realized I had never reviewed it. This is soooooo good. I swear I have been making this a few times a year since I found it. I don’t see a date anywhere on this post, but I know I was making it when my youngest was a newborn or a year old so 2015-2016. It’s so super easy and the leftovers reheat great!! This recipe is how I found Damn Delicious and I started following her on Instagram because of this very recipe! Now I want a corgi. That is is all.
Love love love and so simple! One of my favorite meals!
I think it is so much more flavorful when you sauté the garlic and sausage in olive oil and let the tomatoes wilt a bit in the oil. And that would take just one more pan.
You don’t need an extra pan…saute the garlic and sausage in olive oil in the Dutch oven. For the last minute or two, toss in the tomatoes and wilt. Proceed with directions.
I can’t believe I had this recipe in my list for so long but just made it! Now I know what I’ve missed. So easy to put together and absolutely delicious. This will be in our monthly meal rotation for sure.
I just made this, followed directions and it’s perfect!! Pasta is not over cooked. It’s so yummy!!
It was delicious but I added cream at the end for more flavor and richness because I used smoked sausages instead of andouille. I have made this recipe 3 times already! A favorite!
I also use chicken broth, and add mushroom, spinach, and zucchini. It’s one of my kids favorite meals and is super easy to make. It’s in the regular rotation!
That’s so great!
I was skeptical about this recipe but very hopeful. I followed the directions to the letter and honestly it turned out with the consistency I was hoping for. The pasta was cooked but didnt get too starchy and overly cooked. The thing is, it took about 20 minutes of cooking to reduce the liquid to what I wanted (yes I measured carefully and cooked with the lid off) and with the excess cooking my tomatoes cooked away and only little tomato skins were left. Overall I think the dish worked, but I might save those tomatoes back til the last five minutes or so. Finally, it was much spicier than I expected it to be, yes I know it had a lot of basil and andouille, and while I like spicy foods, it seemed like that’s all the flavor there was. I expected, the onion and garlic and basil to blend a little more and give a nice aromatic herbal flavor but it wasn’t there for me. Good recipe to try cause you might like it but it wasn’t for me. Thanks for sharing.
**vegeterian attempt-
I substituted the sausage with baby bok choy- while it worked alright I would definitely recommend putting it in the pot during the last five minutes instead of at the beginning with the other ingredients. I substituted the white onion for pearl onions as well and added lemon zest to the final product. The only issue I had with recipe was water left over at the end (no I didn’t cover the pot) and that the grape tomato halves were a bit over cooked when using the recommended time.
This is one of my favorite go to easy recipes.
Some adjustments:
–add mozzarella balls (you can purchase these at any grocery store, sometimes they’re called “mozzarella pearls” and they’re great for many recipes!!). Add these after everything else is cooked (drain, if needed), stir well.
–add some olive oil to your pasta after cooking. It honestly makes all the difference.
This is a fantastic recipe. I make probably once or twice a month using different meats and sauces. The original recipe is awesome though and no need to change. I just do it for variety. Thank you ❤️
Totally delicious, easy, and adaptable! I used mix of chicken stock and water, turkey kielbasa, and added sundried tomatoes with loads of garlic. Family loved it! It’s a keeper! Thank you for your creativity and all your hard work, Chungah! Looking forward to using more of your recipes!
There has to be a trick to using gluten free noodles with this recipe. Anyone have success with this type of pasta?
Just made this for dinner. Oh so good. Husband asked where’s the recipe from? Me: From Butters!
That is too cute!!!
Hi what actually happens to all the water in the one pot pasta meal? It sounds so crazy.
The water is absorbed by the pasta.
Can linguine be substituted for spaghetti? I’m concerned that might affect this cooking time and amount of water used.
Yes, cooking time may vary just slightly as it is a thicker pasta.
Made this with tofurkey sausages as I am a vegetarian and even my meat eater husband loved it! The extra liquid was perfect for left overs as it made them rich and creamy. Definitely a winner in my household and a go to fast, one pot meal. Thanks again for a great dinner.
Great Victoria!
Sorry Chungah! Autocorrect changed your name.
The basil can be left whole.
Hey Chunga,
I’m making this tonight! Question…do you chop the basil or do you leave the leaves whole?
Is the grated Parmesan cheese from Kraft bottle Parmesan cheese or freshly grated one?
Thanks!
Always freshly grated, please! 🙂