This Easy One-Pot Pasta recipe gets dinner on the table in about half an hour. I’m sharing one of my favorite versions, but you can mix and match ingredients with what you have on hand. Better hit that bookmark button!
The first time I heard about a one pot pasta dinner I didn’t really believe it was possible. The idea of cooking noodles in their sauce (instead of separately in water) seemed really odd to me. I was positive that the noodles would turn out pasty or somehow not cook properly.
I was wrong. One-Pot Pasta Dinners totally work! Today, I’m sharing a great base recipe with you, but there are SO many substitutions you can make to change up the flavors and this pasta dish will still turn out amazing. Your entire dinner is cooked in one pot and takes under 30 minutes. Plus, there’s only one pot to wash after you’re done.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
- Video: One-Pot Pasta Formula
- How Does A One-Pot Pasta Work?
- What Kind Of Pasta Noodles Work?
- Protein Options For One-Pot Pasta
- What Veggies Can I Use?
- How To Season One-Pot Pasta
- Cheese Options
- Garnishing Your One-Pot Meal
- More Amazing One-Dish Recipes
- Podcast Episode About Making One-Pot Pasta
- Easy One-Pot Pasta Recipe
Video: One-Pot Pasta Formula
How Does A One-Pot Pasta Work?
Just like it sounds like, everything gets cooked in just one pot. Yes, including the pasta noodles!
If your protein (like chicken) isn’t already cooked, you’ll get started with that and then set it aside to add back in later. Then you sauté veggies, add seasonings, and pour in chicken broth (or beef or vegetable broth), heavy cream, and a can of diced tomatoes. Once you’ve got the liquid simmering, add in your uncooked pasta noodles.
Let the pasta simmer until it’s cooked, then add in your cooked protein. Stir in the cheese until it melts into the sauce. You seriously get these noodles in a rich and creamy sauce, protein, and veggies too, all from one simple pot!
Then it’s time to plate and add any additional garnishes that you’d like. Maybe more cheese…
You can follow my recipe below, or get creative and mix and match your own. Maybe you want a taco pasta with ground beef, peppers, chili powder, and Cheddar cheese. How about a pasta primavera with lots of veggies, Parmesan cheese, and maybe some diced chicken? You can even make a cheesesteak pasta with sliced beef, mushrooms, cream cheese, and Provolone. You can absolutely choose your own culinary adventure here.
What Kind Of Pasta Noodles Work?
I like to use penne or rotini for this recipe because they seem to be the easiest and grab the pasta sauce well. You can also use linguine or spaghetti noodles but you need to break it into pieces before adding it to the pot.
Pay attention to the suggested cook time on your noodles because you may need to adjust the time that they simmer in the pot especially if they are a quicker cooking pasta.
Protein Options For One-Pot Pasta
In the recipe card below, I’ve used pre-cooked Italian sausage, cut into slices. That means you don’t have to even cook it before you get started on making the one pot pasta dinner. But you can make this pasta recipe with just about anything. I really like using chicken leftovers. Here are some more ideas, including vegetarian options.
Uncooked proteins, use 1 pound of:
- Cubed chicken
- Ground chicken
- Ground turkey
- Ground beef
- Cubed pork tenderloin
- Beef strips
- Sliced Italian sausage
- Shrimp
- Salmon chunks
- Tofu
Pre-cooked protein:
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 3 cups leftover cooked cubed chicken
- 3 cups leftover cubed beef or pork
- 16 oz. sliced sausages that are bought fully-cooked
- 2 cans drained canned legumes such as kidney beans, chickpeas, or cannellini beans
What Veggies Can I Use?
I always like to start with diced onion and minced garlic, plus that can of tomatoes that gets added with the broth. But there’s plenty more you can include. Most will be added at the beginning with the onion, but if you want to include something quick-cooking like spinach, wait till the last couple minutes to wilt it in.
Extra vegetables:
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups spinach
How To Season One-Pot Pasta
Depending on the protein and veggies you chose, you may want to switch up the spices and herbs to match the flavor profile. The great thing about this recipe is adjusting to your family’s taste!
Seasonings, use max 2 teaspoons of seasoning total, and max 1 teaspoon of any particular one:
- Oregano
- Basil
- Sage
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Chili powder
- Paprika
- Dill
- Parsley
- Lemon pepper
- Crushed red pepper flakes (max ½ teaspoon)
Cheese Options
So many delicious cheese options, the most important is picking one (or two!) that will melt into the pasta sauce nicely.
Cheese, 1 and ½ cup of shredded cheese total:
- Mozzarella
- Cheddar
- Colby
- Pepper jack
- Mexican cheese mix
- Swiss
- Provolone
- Parmesan (max ½ cup)
- Asiago (max ½ cup)
- 4 oz. cream cheese in pieces
- 4 slices provolone cut in pieces.
Garnishing Your One-Pot Meal
Your pasta dish is already going to be delicious at this point. But, if you want to add even more flavor, you can garnish with additional ingredients as you serve. Or, set out several and let everyone add their faves to their own plate!
Optional Garnishes, use up to two tablespoons of garnish total per person:
- Chopped green onions
- Chopped chives
- Chopped fresh basil leaves
- Toasted panko bread crumbs
- Chopped avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Cooked bacon crumbles
- Blue cheese crumbles
- Feta cheese crumbles
- Sliced black olives
- Diced fresh tomatoes
- Chopped capers
- More shredded Parmesan cheese
- Crumbled tortilla chips
- Lemon zest (¼ teaspoon per serving max)
- Sour cream
- Dollop of seasoned ricotta cheese
- Drizzle of Buffalo wing sauce
More Amazing One-Dish Recipes
Now that you’ve realized how amazing it is to not have a stack of dishes to wash after making dinner, try some more of my one-dish dinners.
- No-Boil Pasta Bake Recipe
- Mexican Ground Beef Skillet
- Sheet Pan Chicken Ratatouille
- One-Pan Salmon Orzo Bake
- Skillet Lasagna Recipe
- One-Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Ground Beef and Potato Skillet Dinner
Podcast Episode About Making One-Pot Pasta
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this pasta, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
Easy One-Pot Pasta Recipe
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 3 – 3 and 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 12 oz. dried penne pasta
- 16 oz. sliced sausages (bought pre-cooked)*
- 1 and 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Warm 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot set over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook and stir 30 seconds.
- Add the salt, pepper, stock, cream, and diced tomatoes. Heat to a hard simmer, stirring frequently, and then immediately stir in the pasta.
- Bring it back to a strong simmer, and then reduce the temperature to keep it at a low simmer, stirring often until the pasta is cooked, 13-15 minutes. If the pasta has soaked up a lot of the liquid and seems dry, add an extra ½ cup of stock.
- Once the pasta is cooked, stir in the sausage. Heat through. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Serve.
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Notes
*If using an uncooked protein (like raw chicken) in this recipe instead of the fully cooked sausage, prior to step #1 do this: Season the protein liberally with salt and pepper. In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the protein and cook, stirring occasionally until cooked through. Transfer it to a plate, then continue with Step #1 of above recipe, using the same pot.
I love being able to mix and match the ingredients for this recipe! I always have cannelini beans and tomatoes in the pantry, so this was really easy to make with things on hand. Delicious!