A bold, comforting one-pot spaghetti recipe made with ground beef, crushed tomatoes, and simple pantry spices. Perfect for busy weeknights and easy meal prep.
This was my one-pot, go to meal back in college. Mostly because all I could make at the time, with a touch of the pride I felt being able to chop an onion in slices, and a tinge of laziness when it comes to dishes. I would often have an Everest of used dishware stacked in my sink that I would only empty out 30 minutes before company came over. Eventually I got wise and would just opt to use paper plates instead 😁.
Weeknight Kickin’ One-Pot Spaghetti
A bold, comforting one-pot spaghetti recipe made with ground beef, crushed tomatoes, and simple pantry spices. Perfect for busy weeknights and easy meal prep.If you're looking for an easy spaghetti recipe with ground beef that delivers big flavor without complicated steps, this is it. This one-pot spaghetti is rich, slightly spicy, customizable, and made with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.It’s simple. It’s hearty. And it kicks.
Serves 4
Equipment
- Large pot
- Strainer
- Tongs
- Measuring cup
- Cutting board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 1 lb ground beef
- 30 oz crushed tomatoes
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp sugar
- 8 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 yellow onion
- 5 stems rougly chopped italian parsley
- 4 oz freshly grated parmesan
- 1 oz tomato paste (optional)
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While water boils, slice mushrooms into 1/4 inch thick slices. Half, peel, and slice onion into 1/4 inch thick slices. Roughly chop parsley.
- Cook spaghetti for 9-11 minutes until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
- Return pot to stove over medium heat. Melt butter. Sauté mushrooms and onion, stirring frequently. (~8-11 mins)
- Push mushrooms and onions to the side. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned, stirring frequently. (~5-8 mins)
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in crushed tomatoes and tomato paste if using.
- Add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and let it sit for 5-8 minutes until slightly reduced
- Return spaghetti to the pot. Add a splash of reserved pasta water and mix well.
- Serve topped with parmesan and parsley.
Notes
- Use 2 pans to cut the cook time in half. We just like a pot because we don’t have a large enough pan for the sauce.
- A “pinch” of salt is roughly 1/4 teaspoon.
- Adjust red pepper flakes for more or less heat.
- Adding tomato paste deepens the flavor.
- This recipe is great for meal prep and reheats beautifully.
