One Pot Pasta
The easiest, most amazing pasta you will ever make. Even the pasta gets cooked right in the pot. How easy is that?!
With Jason’s graduation today and our upcoming move back to Los Angeles in the next couple of weeks, we’ve been scrambling here left and right. We’ve been resorting to either take-out or skipped dinners altogether. Either way, cooking at home has been a bit tough. That’s why this super easy, no-fuss one pot spaghetti completely saved us from a calorie-ridden take-out meal!
MY OTHER RECIPES
Now this is probably the easiest pasta dish you will ever make in your entire life. It’s literally a 5-min prep, and then everything gets tossed right in the pan, including the uncooked spaghetti. Let the water come to a boil and that’s it! Now how easy is that?
So the next time you want to overload on Thai take-out, this pasta is a must. It’s just too easy not to make!
One Pot Pasta
The easiest, most amazing pasta you will ever make. Even the pasta gets cooked right in the pot. How easy is that?!
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 grated Parmesan
Directions:
- 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, until pasta is cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan.
- Serve immediately.
Adapted from The Slow Roasted Italian.
This looks unbelievably good! I haven’t tried one of these one-pot recipes before. But your addition of the sausage in here is seriously tempting me to. Pinned! : )
do you drain the water when its done cooking or leave it in there?
Sharmane, there really shouldn’t be any liquid left to drain at the end of cooking time.
Yup, i had the same issue. Four and a half cups of water was just too much. I had a delicious soupy noodle mix, over-cooking the noodles didn’t help any. I will try using 2 1/2 or 3 cups next time and see how that goes.
Did you read the instructions? Bring the water to a full boil. Cook UNCOVERED. That allows the water to reduce and cook the pasta. Cook long enough to reduce liquid.
I have made this several times…..PERFECT…..no water left…..if instructions are read…and follow……it will be PERFECT…everytime…
This might be a really silly question but I just made this and there is a lot of liquid left in the pot. I’m not sure what I did wrong. Are you suppose to bring to a boil – uncovered? I brought to a boil covered and then lowered the temp to simmer and uncovered. There was still a lot of water left. Not sure if I should have left it uncovered to boil too? Looks amazing though.
A cover is not needed!
wow,looks very simple and delicious.
It was both. I’ve been raving about it all day.
One pot – love it!! That means there’s like 17 other pots I don’t have to wash, which is you know, typical for most recipes that tend to dirty every dish in the house 🙂 Love one pot meals!
Such a fabulous idea! And I LOVE that first photo. Such gorgeous light!
Sounds nice. Thank you and have a great weekend!
Here comes the inevitable question. Do you think I have to adjust anything (say, the water) if I am halving the recipe? Or can I just halve all the ingredients?
Thanks. Looks yummy.
Yes, all ingredients, including the water, should be halved.
What about using dried Basil?how much would I use?
Cindy, the ratio for dry to fresh herbs is typically 1:3.
I’ve been dying to try one pot pasta, this looks so good!
I am so happy that you loved the recipe!
Love the idea of using 1 pot ONLY! More recipes like this please! 🙂
I love one pot meals like this! Such a great recipe to have on hand!
Yum! I need to get on the one-pot pasta train!
Al icans ay is your a genius! I’m convinced!!! Nothing like cooking something fast and easy for Sunday lunch.,,it felt I hit a jackpot.
Thank you!!
Correction..all I can say…
Looks amazing… Now my challenge is to figure out how to adjust for brown rice pasta.. ( usually requires it to sit of burner after boiling ) # glutenfree
How much salt and pepper do you use? I never know how much to use. Lol…
It’s really “to taste” to fit your preferences. I think I used about 1 teaspoon salt so you could work with 1/2 teaspoon to start.
This is a wonderful recipe and I make it at least every couple weeks. I use farmer’s sausage and sometimes brown a fry pay of fresh sliced mushrooms. I never seem to have fresh basil so use 2 TBSP of dried basil and 2 TBSP of dried oregano. Instead of the water I use 5 cups of chicken stock and a 15 oz. can of diced tomatos instead of the cherry tomatos. After the broth comes to a boil and I turn the heat to simmer I add a ouple handfuls of baby spinach. It is scrumptios! Obviously a recipe you can play around with!!!! Thank you!!!
Finally..someone who substituted all those fresh ingredients for “real world pantry” ones..thank you so much for this! I’m going to try this too..but will take several liberties with the basic recipe like you did and substitute spaghetti sauce for half the water..and add italian sausage..mushrooms..green bell peppers..olives..and anything else I can think of. The original recipe looked very boring to me..and had onions in it..which I don’t like in my pasta..so thanks again for your idea. =)
The beauty of this recipe is that it is completely customizable. And as for the “boring” original recipe – you’d really be amazed as to what a few, simple ingredients can do to a one pot meal!
The recipe is delicious and not the least bit boring. It’s so simple I will pass it along to my “non – cooking” collegiate and she’ll have a great, easy, home cooked meal. Thank you!
Thanks for making “boring” ingredients into a delicious pot of goodness. I’ll be trying your recipe next week. Nothing looks boring for me, so thanks for sharing!
That’s the great thing about this recipe…you can substitute pantry items (sun dried tomatoes) or leftovers (cold shrimp!) for the fresh ones.
Spaghetti Sauce is literally anything one uses to sauce spaghetti. If in fact you mean tomato sauce you might say so.
Does the onion cook or stay hard?
Yes, the onion is cooked through.
Do you cook the sausage before hand? Or just cut it up straight from the refrigerator?
There’s no need to cook the sausage beforehand.
I have never tried a one pot pasta dish! It looks amazing, so I should probably get on it!
I just tried it ! it was AMAZING and everybody is mad about it !!
Best regards from Algeria ..
This looks SO delicious! Definitely adding this one to my menu plan, thanks for sharing!
Brilliant recipe! Can’t wait to try it. The basil sitting in my windowsill has no idea what a delicious fate is ahead…
Definitely making this meal on my next crazy busy night! Thanks 🙂
Simple, hearty and delicious! This looks so tasty! Wishing you all the best for the moving 😀 Cannot wait to see more posts from you! x
Your one-pot andouille sausage dish is on regular rotation at my house. Can’t wait to try this iteration. Looks just as delicious 🙂
Is sausage spicy????? If so too spicy for a 6 and 8 yr old??????
It should be fine but if you want to play it safe, it may be best to use a sausage of your choice that is suitable for your children.
Hi
Can the recipe be done with rice noodles or other kinds of gluten free noodles? Has anyone tried doing this?
I tried it tonight with Gluten Free noodles. It did not turn out as expected but I covered it. So I’m not sure if the screw up is from the covered pot or GF noodles!
I just made this with rice noodles. It turned out amazing. I started out boiling the four cups of water before adding the ingredients, and then added 1-2 more cups as needed while the pasta was cooking. I am also dairy free so didn’t use any parmesan. It had a delicious sauce nonetheless. It is some kind of cooking magic. Yum. I did add some more spices (oregano, general italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes) as a substitute for the parmesan.
I make this tonight and I have to say, “wow”‘ it was super fast and easy and of course the bonus was, just one pot to clean :)) It was absolutely delicious, made it exactly as recipe except I used smoked moose sausage. Will definitely make it again.
Thanks Chung-Ah!
One pot anything is the greatest dinner ever!! Who actually likes to wash all those dishes after you’re done with dinner…NO ONE in their right mind haha! My favorite part about this dish, is the chunks of sausage..heyoooo. This recipe has deliciousness written all over it! 🙂
So my local store just had uncooked fresh cajun andouille sausage. Do I need to cook it separately before putting it in the pot?
No, there is no need to cook the sausage beforehand. That’s the beauty of this recipe – everything gets cooked in one pot!
awesome! Thanks 🙂
Does the same go for an Italian chicken sausage I have? Or should I brown that separately?
It depends – if you are able to slice it, it should be fine. If not, it may be best to remove the casing and crumble it first.
Do I need to bring water to boil before adding pasta or can I add it cold? Want to try this for dinner this evening and do not want to mess it up.
There is no need to bring the water to a boil.
I just made this last night and it was amazing!!! A huge hit with my somewhat picky family! I love how creamy the sauce gets when you add the cheese at the end. Great recipe!
This recipe is fine, but the basil should go in at or toward the end.
James, feel free to add the basil before or after the meal is cooked. I’m sure it would go great at the end as an addition for some amazing basil flavor.
Can rice noodles be used?
Unfortunately, in a one pot dish like this, I don’t think other noodles other than standard pasta will work here.
This has been one of my favorite dishes so far from your site. It was amazing. I used Kielbasa because I’ve not heard of Andouille, but it looked like a similar kind. I, too, added mushrooms that I sauteed ahead of time, but my daughter added them raw, and both ways were perfect. This dish has definitely been added to our recipe lists. Just wonderful!
This recipe is amazing! I just made and followed the recipe, made no changes and it was great! We will be making this often! Thanks
No kidding around! Best and easiest dish there is! My husband after one bite said it was really good. Mr food critic himself never says that! Awesome recipe! Thank you!
Wonderful recipe!! You just dump and turn on the heat. I followed the recipe except I addd 2 chicken bullion cubes and turkey kielbasa because my husband doesn’t eat pork. I did added more water as well …other than that it was GREAT!!!!!!!! adding this to our dinner dish. Thanks
I just moved into a new home and needed a quick dinner to fuel me while unpacking (so I didn’t have to eat any more take out). I found your recipe on Pinterest and LOVED it!!! I only made one small change which was to use bulk like Italian sausage instead of andouille and brown it in the pot before adding everything else. (My store was out of andouille). Thank you so much for sharing!!
I’ve tried a one pot pasta meal made with spaghetti in the past and seemed like it was very starchy. I assumed it was because the pasta cooked in the pot and the water wasn’t drained away. Does these one seem to be that way? I love the idea of this meal, but I was disappointed in the previous recipe I tried.
I actually didn’t find this to be starchy at all!
Hi Chung-Ah,
My wife has celiac’s disease so we eat rice pasta exclusively. That pasta does leave a LOT of starch in the water. If we were to cook the pasta separately, how would we go about making this recipe? Half the amount of water?
Jeff, without further recipe testing with rice pasta, I cannot really advise exactly how much water to use. You can start with half the amount of water, if not more, and ladle out the excess as needed.
Hi Jeff,
I used quinoa pasta and my whole dish ended up being ruined because it had the consistency of wall paper paste. 🙁 Did you have this trouble with the rice pasta? Thanks!
I am definitely going to make this! Just one question though… how come the tomatoes are divided? Do you add half in right away to be cooked, and then add the other half just before serving?
My apologies, Marcia! The tomatoes should not be divided. I just updated the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!
I made this the other night and it was so delicious! Made plenty of leftovers, add sauteed zucchini, bell peppers, and snap peas to amplify it for day 2! 🙂
I love all your recipes. For one pot pasta dishes, I like using bucatini for my pasta, it soaks up the broth inside and out!
I love all your recipes and they are Damn Delicious!
I made this and loved how easy it was! I noticed the sauce “dried up” just as it sat on my plate while I was eating it. Since there isn’t a true sauce to this pasta, would you suggest adding some heavy cream (like your other one pot pasta recipe)?
Yes, absolutely. Heavy cream would work great on this dish as well. Or you can even add a little bit more water next time for a thin layer of sauce on the noodles.
I made this last night. My husband couldn’t get enough. Haha he was so excited to have it as leftovers for lunch today. My kids thought the andouille sausage was just a little too spicy but other than that they loved it. Thanks for a fast yummy dish!
I was wondering, do you have to strain the pasta and everything else or leave the water in the bowl? wouldn’t that be too soup-like?
There’s no need to strain the pasta – that’s the beauty of this recipe!
Don’t know if it’s written or someone mentioned it, but how much water do I place into the pot?
The amount of water is indicated in the recipe.
What a delicious dish! It was so easy. My only variation is, I used chicken broth instead of water. Dinner was all gone, with them wanting more. A must keep recipe!
Made this for dinner tonight. Was so full of flavor yet very light tasting. Loved it and will definitely make it again.
This was delicious!!! Completely agree with the gal above me, it was so tasty and sooo light. Was amazing even without all of the calories from adding a yummy sauce and was so easy. Can’t wait to make more one pot recipes! Thanks!!
What else can I use besides sausage, I don’t like it…???
You can try substituting chicken.
Raw chicken breast ok? Or cook the chicken first? Thanks, looking forward to trying this!
Yesi, I recommend cooking the chicken first, setting it aside while the pasta cooks, and adding it in at the end.
Looks good! I read all the comments and looked at the pictures…is it safe to assume there is some broth still in the pot when the meal has finished cooking? I know it’s not a soup recipe but I have more misses than hits with new recipes.Thanks!
Cris, most of the liquid is actually soaked by all of the noodles. But feel free to add in more water as you see fit.
Just made this tonight. I added zucchini and mushrooms and used canned tomatoes….it was delicious!
Made this tonight, was easy as it sounds and tasted great. Even my 14 mo daughter couldn’t get enough!
I made this last night and it was so easy and good. I used smoked spicy chicken sausage as a substitute and sliced mushrooms in mine and it was so good. Cant wait to have this for lunch.
Also made this last night. Surprised how good it was! Used rotini and pancetta instead and added some yellow zucchini noodles at the end. Seriously delicious!
Had this tonite for dinner, and my family LOVED it. Thank you soooo much for a quick easy week night dinner
Look awesome, I’ll try it.
Cooked it this evening for dinner and it smells wonderful!!
How would you fix this as a vegetarian dish? No heavy cream please.
Judi, you can omit the andouille sausage and add more veggies to taste. There is also no heavy cream in this recipe.
VERY GOOD!!!!!!! Everyone loved it in my family 🙂
Can you use leftover meatloaf in this recipe? Would like to try one pot meals. TKS Also can you use roasted red peppers also?
You can certainly add those in to taste but keep in mind of cooking time to ensure that the meatloaf is not overcooked.
I couldnt wait so went ahead and made it. All I can say is its DAMN GOOD. Will be great for a potluck fo sure today. TKS
P.S. All I have to do is add Parm. Reggiano to the top when readyto serve. Again Im glad I came across this recipe. TKS
So, I just tried this today for a quick lunch and dinner later tonight. It’s so good! I made a few small alterations (used different sausage, used shredded fat free mozzarella, and used dried basil as we had no fresh) but it turned out amazing anyway. As someone who hates excess dishes, this is just a dream come true! And probably my new favorite pasta. No more “easy” store bought sauces for me!
I just made this with my own substutions (don’t have the fresh basil, lol as well as other things) and omg, sooooo good. My 4 yr old daughter loves it too 🙂 thank you for the recipe and probably be using more as I look through what you post,
I love this! I’ve featured your recipe on my blog, Frugal Home Cooking http://www.frugalhomecooking.com Thanks!
There are only two of us — my husband and me — and I use 4 ounces of pasta for a meal (2 ounces each). As this recipe uses four times that amount of pasta, it would be way too much. I figure that if I cut the recipe in half, I can serve it at two meals. (I expect I reheat it the second time.) But if I do make only half, will 2 1/4 cups of water be enough?
Yes, if you are halving the recipe, the amount of water should be sufficient with half the amount as listed in the original recipe.
Made this last night and WOW! Halved the recipe, was perfect amount for a couple and one serving of leftovers.
-Used spicy italian chicken sausage instead of andouille and browned it
-Added a healthy serving of crushed red pepper for spice
It was unbelievable. Good enough for guests too!!!
What size dutch oven did you use? Looking forward to making this recipe soon!
I used a 3 1/2 qt Dutch oven.
Delicious! Now can I have 6 more one pot recipes this easy and good. 🙂
Made this tonight and loved it! It’s going on the rotation!
Made this tonight, a keeper for sure. So yummy, only thing I changed was I used chicken broth instead of water.
Learn from my mistake: only use spaghetti for this recipe. Don’t be an idiot like me and use fusilli which has a WAY bigger volume and isn’t covered by the water. I had put in a ton more water to cover the noodles and then strain it all to try and save the dish. I will definitely try it again because it’s super easy if you follow directions better than me.
I’ve made something similar but used Vegetable broth instead of water and smoked sausage. Great meal after working all day.
I made this tonight. It is tasty! love your pretty pictures, too.
Just made it. Damn Delicious! You have completely saved me with your recipes. This was my first. Tomorrow is your Harvest Salad.
Thanks for the super easy, yet very tasty recipe! I could not believe how fast dinner was served tonight. I thought the kids would pick out the onions, but they never even mentioned them ;). One thing to note is I used thin spaghetti and it was slightly mushy. I plan on definitely making this again, but will use regular noodles next time. Thanks again.
I’m gonna be makin’ this! Just what I’ve been looking for!
hmmmmm——looks fabulous and is great idea. only thing i would suggest is saute onions first. they have such a better flavor when cooked first w/oil,butter&salt. thanks for your ideas. llc
Definitely saving this recipe! Such deliciousness made in only one pot? Yes!
I love this recipe! How do I add veggies without overcooking them? And do you know what the nutritional values are?
If you are worried about overcooking additional veggies, you can try cooking them separately and adding it in at the very end – although that would defeat the purpose of a one pot meal! As for the nutritional information – unfortunately, as I am not a registered dietician, I am not comfortable sharing nutritional information for any of my recipes. I recommend utilizing online calorie counters at your discretion to obtain such information.
What is best size of spaghetti to use? Don’t want mush, but have never liked spaghetti that’s very thick. Thanks.
Standard spaghetti noodles should be just fine, but I would steer clear of using something like angel hair or fettuccine.
Just checking recipe says 2 cups fresh basil is that correct?
Yes, that is correct – 2 cups fresh basil, loosely packed. But feel free to add more or reduce as needed, to taste.
These one-pot pasta dishes are so handy when I’m cooking for 30 people, thank you!
When you say grated parmesan, do you mean the kind that comes in the container or freshly grated?
It is always best to use freshly grated.
I’m going to try this. I’m not a big fan of basil. Any suggestions for a substitute?
You can try substituting other fresh herbs such as thyme or oregano.
Could large shrimp be added to this?
Yes, absolutely, but I would add cooked shrimp at the very end to avoid the possibility of overcooking the shrimp.
Hey this is actually good we made it. Eating it right now…!
Made this last night. I doubled the garlic and used chicken broth instead of water. It was amazing. Thank you!
Yum! This looks so good! I just sent the recipe to two friends. I hope to try it soon! I also really like the formatting of the recipe. Nice and easy on the eyes!!!
It looks like I’m the only one with this issue but I used my 8qt pot and the noodles on top did no cook through so I eventually ended up adding 2 more cups of water. By the time the uncooked noodles were finished, the cooked noodles were nearly mush! Ugh just waisted a lb of pasta. Now, don’t get me wrong, my 6yr old loves it but I just have a thing with pasta, it has to be perfect for me & these were a bit too soft. I added oregano & mushrooms and it had a good light flavor but I’m gonna try it with chicken broth next time & I ‘ll definitely break the spaghetti in half the next time I use this pot.
I worry that perhaps your heat source was set too high or there was just not enough liquid. Although I’m happy to hear that your 6-yr old loved it! 🙂
You’re probably right because I did keep it boiling until all the noodles softened. So how long should it boil before I reduce the heat? I used the 4&1/2 cups of water but it ended up being very shallow in my big pot. I’ll use a smaller pot next time. BTW, thanks for the help I’ve never been any good with cooking pasta and rice, I can never get the consistency right.
The minute it starts boiling, it should be reduced to a simmer. And yes, by using such a wide pot, there will not be enough liquid for the pasta on top, resulting in an uncooked result.
Ok I made this again with my new 3qt ceramic Dutch oven & it was delicious! My pasta is like butter, it’s so slick and perfect. I used Earl Campbell spicy sausage this time because the flavor of the andoullie at my local grocery store just didn’t stand up well to being boiled. I skipped the onions & added some cumin & I think I have a new favorite dish. Thanks for sharing!
Can’t wait to try this! Just one question – did you pull the basil out before you served it (am I supposed to do that too?)? The final pictures look like the basil is gone.
No, there is no need to discard the basil – it actually cooks down so it’s not as visual as it should be!
Omg I just cooked this for dinner. I added broccoli, seasoned chicken, and 2TBSP of tomato paste. I am a lover of one pot mesls. Will be back to let you all know how it tsste but I can say it smells and looks delish!!!!
Made this last night but subbed chicken stock for water, browned 1 lb of 1/2&1/2 mild and hot ground italian sasuage (had it on hand already) used a couple cans of italian seasoned diced tomatoes as I forgot to buy fresh, and added a couple handfulls of spinach. Turned out SO GOOD! Definitely going to make it again, and play some more. More spinach next time, some mushrooms, maybe zucchini. So much you can do with it. Thanks!!
This sounds delish! I plan on making it tonight, but do you think you could substitute a cup of white wine in place of 1 cup of water?
You can certainly try substituting white wine but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
What am I doing wrong if after 10+ minutes there is still a lot of water in the pot?
A lot of factors can at play here but I worry that your heat source may be set too high.
I was DEEPLY skeptical about this recipe – how could it POSSIBLY work? But…it was late, I was tired and husband was hungry, so I tried it. OMG! Absolutely fabulous – the starchy pasta water combines with the fat from the sausage to make a delightful, silky sauce – there was plenty of flavor and, thank heavens, there’s some leftover for tomorrow. Hooray!!!
Thank u for this recipe I just made it today and it’s so easy and delicious. I love u ur bolg. keep it up
Just wanted to say that I tried your recipe with a little modification and it’s great! Here’s a quick little youtube video I slapped together of the process – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEV7RQ9RKpg
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! The only thing I did differently (based on some of the comments) is saute the onion and garlic in a little butter first and add some heavy cream. I’ll have to try it the original way too but it was incredible!
Hooray! I pinned this forever ago & finally made this delicious recipe tonight. I followed the instructions step by step and absolutely loved this fresh hearty dish. Thank you, so easy!!
So good! Unbelievably easy, tasty and damndelicious! thank you!
Tried it. Followed directions exactly, except I had to substitute dried basil (no fresh basil available). Ended up with a pot of very flavorful glue.
At least it was flavorful! Now I do worry that you may have simmered this for too long – try adding a little more water for next time or reducing cooking time.
Made this tonight. It was REALLY good. It was the first time I’d ever cooked pasta with other things with it in the same pot. Can’t wait to try the other One Pot Pastas on this website. I believe this website will be a HUGE HUGE help once I get married next year; I’m going to try to let go of the single-woman-eating-fast-food-all-the-time mentality and make fresh meals at home; getting too old for all that GROSS fast food! Thank you so much!
I made this last night and it took a LOT longer than estimated for the water to reduce and it actually never fully reduced before I was too hungry to wait anymore (over 30 minutes). I ended up draining some of the yummy sauce away so it wouldn’t be too soupy. Otherwise it was a delicious success but next time I would try with a little less water.
Katie, I worry that your heat source was not set appropriately, but I am glad that it still turned out in the end!
Just tried this tonight and it was really good!! We put the Parmesan cheese in with in the pasta when it was done, and I would definetely just sprinkle it on my own individual dish instead. Ours cooked really quickly as well and I would attribute that to using the proper heat.
We subbed the 4 1/2 cups of water for 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups water. Worked perfectly.
Can any pasta be used?
This recipe is really best when spaghetti noodles are used.
I used spiral pasta and its delicious. It was more of a soup for me but the flavor was the same and was delicious.
I made this last night. So good! Tasted like a meal id pay a lot for at a restaurant. My husband loved it too. Love the one pot meal. I have made a few of your meals now and am never disappointed. I’m gonna keep coming back. Thanks!
Made this last night! So good and very easy. Thanks for sharing!
Made this tonight! Again, 10 stars!! All 4 of my kids ate it up! So easy! Thank you!!
Trying it for a second time tonight. Used spaghetti noodles first time and they were clumpy, even with a little olive oil added. I slightly over cooked so pasta and sauce was a bit gummy-cook’s error. Family loved it so am trying it again tonight with a campanelle noodle. My substitutions- italian sausage and 1 can San Marzano tomatoes (crushed by hand). Also, cooked at a soft boil instead of a simmer. Turned out GREAT.
Thank you for this! My husband and I tried it and loved it. We used Cajun Andouille sausage.
DO you need to cook raw sausage first? I am using italian sausage. Thanks
If you are using Italian sausage, then yes, it would be best to cook separately.
I used half spicy v-8 juice and half water for the base it was great.
I’m allergic to cheese, what can I use as a substitute?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise an appropriate substitute that will not alter the overall taste/texture of the dish. Please use your best judgment to make the appropriate substitutions to fit your dietary restrictions.
How many cups of water? Do I have to drain the water?
You will need 4 1/2 cups water (listed in the directions). And no, there is no need to drain the water.
Whipped this up tonight, though with a couple of improvisations thrown in. My lord …thus was amazing! . Thank you.
Tried halving recipe but came out like loose glue! Flavor was there but consistency was not.
Next day thinned it out with some homemade chicken broth and had it for lunch as a soup…much better.
Kay, when halving the recipe, did you also halve the water amount?
I love your site and recipes
Made this tonight with chorizo sausage…it was amazing! Love it! Love it! Love it! And I love that there’s only one dirty pot! Can’t wait to try out your other recipes!
I think its odd that people find a recipe,love it, then proceed to destroy it! I try them as is the first time.The follow up I may change.Its a great meal
Is it possible to switch out the spaghetti with bowtie pasta? I love bowtie pasta and sausage together!
I honestly can’t say for sure but I do worry that the bowtie pasta may be too “wide” of a pasta for this kind of one pot meal.
This is aaaammazing!! I used chorizo as its all I had in the house. This will definitely be a regular meal in our household… Thankyou!!
I am a home of 2 so 6 servings is quite a lot, can I simply cut the recipe in half to make a smaller serving size?
Yes, of course!
Loved the recipe! I added mushrooms and cooked everything in chicken broth of instead of water.
Oh. My. Gosh. I can’t rave about this enough. So easy, SO good. This is going into my regular rotation and i’m telling everyone about it.
Hi – we made this for supper tonight (substituted whole wheat pasta) – it was awesome. Great recipe!
This looks amazing! I will be adding this to my recipe box! Yummo!
I just made this so there is definitely a difference when using whole grain pasta- DO NOT RECOMMEND. I also did 2 other things that destroyed the meal – used the larger dutch oven (I think it’s 5 plus qts) AND had the heat on too high. Flavor was ok, but my goodness was this a claggy, gummy gooey mess. Will most definitely try this again and hopefully it will work better next time!
Made this tonight! YES! SO SO good!!! VERY VERY good!!! I topped mine with a little mozzarella! DELISH!!
Love the flavors of this pasta have made twice first time came out perfect last two there was too much water!? Can’t think of what I am doing wrong? Should I do 3 cups instead? May sound like a silly question but I’m new to the cooking game!
I’m not sure what happened the last time but please feel free to reduce the amount of liquid as needed.
I did not heed the clear warnings in the comments and made this with quinoa pasta. It ended up a thick yellow sludge! Those of you who want to use rice or quinoa pasta, don’t even try it! Those just barely give the illusion of being pasta shaped and are eager to become glue. It was a tasty sludge, though.
Made this tonight..picked up all the fresh ingredients and it was fantastic for such a quick cooking meal. The only thing I did different was add two chicken bouillon cubes.. Will definitely make again!!
OKAY, EVERYONE! THIS ONE IS A MUST…. SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS = SIMPLY DELICIOUS!!! ALL FOUR BOYS AND HUBBY LOVED IT. MUST TRY!
I cannot say enough good things about this one. It is now my go to dinner when I can’t figure out what I am hungry for. Have used cherry tomatoes,artichoke hearts, asparagus, squash, zuccini, and any other veggie u can think of…..JUST LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can’t wait to try this recipe. One question though, wouldn’t the pasta become soggy if you put it in before the water is boiling? Thanks!
Not at all!
Made this tonight for dinner. I came back here to read comments, hoping someone else had the same problem as me, which was way too watery! But since I found no one complaining about that, I thought back to how I measured the water and realized instead of 4 1/2 cups, I doubled that! Duh! What can I say? Kids running around, fussy baby! I ladled a lot of it out prior to serving, but I have to say, even though I flooded it, it had a great flavor. I’ll definitely make this again – and this time with the correct amount of water! Lol
I made this last night for dinner. The key is to cook it in a very big pot this way it doesn’t turn to mush. It was delicious. I had my mom and her boyfriend over for dinner. It really made a lot. I still had left overs, so I sent a big container to my son’s and I just had some more as a quick snack this morning. It is even more delicious today! I will make this again!
Made this tonight for dinner… made a couple modifications… 1-I halved the recipe the best I could. 2-I used veggie rottini pasta. All I can say about it is… YUM! It has so many other possibilities for add-ins
Side note… I too had too much water… I just drained it like I normally would pasta…
If I use Italian sausage do I need to cook it first?
Yes, it would be best to cook the sausage prior to using.
Thanks for that quick reply!! I am anxious to try this tonight!
I see that a lot of people are halving the recipe successfully. Can I double it in a large, oval French oven — 7 or 8 quarts? What do you think of others’ suggestion of using chicken or veg. broth instead of water? Thanks so much!
Using chicken or vegetable broth sounds like a great idea! As for doubling, I have heard back from readers that they have actually been unsuccessful. I haven’t tried it myself so please use your best judgment if you decide to double the recipe as stated.
So kind of you to reply so quickly! Thanks for the advice!
I became a widower last year, my cooking skills are not any better than the average male. Made this for myself tonight, it was delicious and I just wanted to say thank you. I really enjoyed it and it made me realize that I can make healthy meals.
Good Lawd Have Mercy!!!! Can’t get any simpler than this. And was delish!!
Love. Love. Loving. Your recipes :):). thank you!
I just made it. Changes I made: I used Italian sausage sliced very thin, dry spices (salt, pepper,basil,oregano, hot red pepper) and added 2 14oz cans of petite diced tomatoes. I did not put any cheese in the pot, just put it on the table so we could sprinkle a small amount on our portion. Husband, son and I proclaim that it was fantastic!
Looks amazing! want to try. Boyfriend will NOT eat tomatoes though, any good substitutions?
Emma, you can try to omitting the tomatoes altogether and increasing the other ingredients to compensate.
I just tried this. It was really good. Although our water didn’t seem to want to evaporate. Cooked it a lot longer than the suggested time to try to get it to and increased the heat. So I couldn’t figure that part out, we ended up dumping some of the water out before adding the cheese. I’m a beginning cook so not sure if there is a simple explanation for that. 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!
Kelsey, your heat source may have not been set appropriately, which may have resulted in too much water at the end.
Looks so yummy! I’m trying it today, thank you!
The comments alone on this particular article goes to show how stupid the majority of people are. Just read the idiotic questions. The instructions are explicit, and the stupid questions being asked is frightening.
I’m new to the cooking game so could someone please tell me how to slice the sausage before cooking it in the pot?
Thanks 🙂
Meagan, you can really slice it however you see fit – in rounds, diced, etc. It’s up to you.
I made this for lunch today because I had some of the ingredients in my cabinets and this recipe turned out delicious! My fiancé gobbled this up and that’s all that matters. I will definitely make this meal again. Thanks!
I made this tonight for dinner and it came out great! I think next time I’ll add a bit more water to get the pasta to the point that I prefer it, but it really turned out pretty well for my first time making it. Thanks a bunch for providing such tasty recipes! I’ll be making your Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce again tomorrow night, it was a big hit last time I made it.
Do you put the basil leafs in whole or do you cut them up? If left whole do you take them out at the end?
You can discard them at the end if you’d like but they get wilted throughout the cooking process so it is fine to consume as is.
Just made this for the umpteenth time and I’m still amazed at how simple yet delicious it is! To make it kosher, I leave out the sausage and I’ve added mushrooms/zucchini/etc – love being able to customize based on whatever vegys I have lying around. Instructions are simple and safe enough that I’ve also left it ready for my 13yo son to prepare with no problem for the nights I get home late. Thanks again!
This recipe sounds jummmm… A question, with italian sausage works?
Yes, Italian sausage should work just fine, although you may have to cook it separately.
made it tonight with gluten free angel hair pasta, turned out a bit mushy but tasted great, will use standard spaghetti next time. This would be one of my lazy night go-to dinner. Thanks for posting, I’m a fan of your recipes
Wow. Was really excited to try this but what a disaster! Used regular wheat spaghetti and ended up with a total mushy nightmare. Will stick to more traditional pasta recipes and cook pasta separately from now on.
K8, what a bummer! But the recipe did not work because you made a substitution using wheat spaghetti. I hope you get a chance to try this again using regular pasta noodles – you’ll be very happy with the results! 🙂
I noticed you use a white onion can I use red onion?
Yes, a red onion should work just fine.
Just made this for my family… Everyone loved it and it was so easy!!
I want to try this recipe but I can’t eat pork. Can anyone recommend a good substitute for andouille sausage?
Beef Kilbasa is what I use since my daughter is allergic to pork.
Hi,
I noticed you said ‘serve immediately’. I’d like to make this dish to last a couple days so I can have quick lunches available. Do you think the dish would lose any flavour by putting it in the fridge and having it a day or two after?
Lisa, this is really best served immediately. And unfortunately, I cannot say how this will taste as a leftover as I have not tried it the next day – there were no leftovers left! Please use your best judgment.
Mad this with spicy Italian sausage, green pepper and veggie pasta. So good!
Is all of that basil overwhelming? I want to make this tonight, but I’ve never used this much basil in a recipe before.
The basil is not very overwhelming as it gets cooked down, but please feel free to adjust the amount as needed to suit your preferences.
I have this simmering in my kitchen and smells delicious! I had to add more water and cook a bit longer, because the pasta did not slide all the way down into the water so only 3/4 of each noodle is cooked! Any tips on this? I guess just keep an eye on it and periodically push everything down into the water??
Chrissy, how did it turn out? There really is no need to add more water because the pasta will continue to submerge as it gets cooked down.
I’m thinking about making this with some Smoked Chorizo that I have. My pasta is fresh and only takes about 4 minutes to cook. Should I just add the pasta 4 minutes into the cooking time? I know it won’t be one pot but I don’t want to over cook the pasta.
Yes, it may be best to add the pasta during the last 4 minutes of cooking time.
This is amazing!!! I made it tonight for my family, a little last min dinner! So quick and so delicious!! Only thing I changed was I added 4 chicken broth cubes to my water, and I sautéed my onion, garlic, mushrooms and sausage with butter and then added when the noodles were complete
I made this last night for myself and my roomates. It was so good for so little effort. 🙂
do you remove the basil at the end? I only ask because the finish product looks like there isn’t any but the fresh on top for decoration. Just curious, I have it on the stove right now. Yum
I did not have to remove the basil as it does cook down.
Hi Chungah! I found you through Tamera Mowry’s website: http://www.tameramowry.com/one-pot-pasta-easy-dinner-recipes/ This recipe looks great, especially for my busy working mom schedule. Can’t wait for your cookbook 🙂
This is my favorite and thank you for sharing! Everyone loves when I make this. I have my niece visiting and she is vegetarian and we have some veggie “hot dogs” How well do you think these will work or hold up instead of the sausage?
The veggie hot dogs should hold up just fine.
This was a great dish! I substituted polish kielbasa for the andouille. And linguini noodles for the spaghetti. I couldn’t find fresh basil so I used fresh baby spinach and added those at the end. I also had to use a full extra cup of water because the pot was running dry before the noodles were even close to cooked. Turned out fantastic and the onions and garlic were so tender and mild flavored. The left overs the next day were even better. Next time I’m going to throw in some mushrooms, bell peppers and a zucchini.
I’ve prepared this dish two times since I discovered it in Dec 2014 and both times it was outstanding. This last time I made a couple of substitutions because my kitchen was ‘out-of-stock’ of grape tomatoes and Andouille sausage. I used the tomatoes from a 28-oz. can of whole Roma tomatoes (drained* and chopped) and hot Italian sausage. Some crushed red pepper added a little extra heat. The fresh basil was from the garden. Just finished off the leftovers at 2AM and Oh ……… so good.
*The juices mixed with some Worcestershire sauce made a nice drink while preparing the dish.
Is it really 2 cups of basil? Seems like a lot!! Can’t wait to try this!!
Yes, the measurements are correct. They cook down quite a bit but please make the adjustments accordingly to suit your preferences.
What do I do with the garlic cloves. Do you eat them with or take out before eating?
That’s really up to you and your personal taste preferences.
Thanks! Can I use minced garlic in the can or is it preferred fresh cloves?
I highly recommend using fresh garlic.
Can’t find fresh basil. Can I use it from the spices section? Or use bay leaves?
Whitney, dried basil should work just fine. The ratio for dry to fresh herbs is typically 1:3.
This was great!! I cooked it with a chicken bullion cube, a can of diced tomatoes (cheaper than a bunch of cherry tomatoes) & sautéed the onions so they weren’t crunchy at all. Then I added a splash of 1/2 & 1/2 at the end to make it a bit creamier. Super easy & really yummy! Thanks for sharing this!!
The last part after adding the parmesan cheese states to serve immediately. After adding the parmesan…..am I not able to refrigerate and have for leftovers??
You can certainly have leftovers – this is just best when served immediately.
I added piece of fresh mozzarella after it was done and it made this dish soooo much better, in my opinion. Still great. Will do again.
How do u measure a pound of dry spaggetti, i hv an open package and dont know if its a pound. Pls help
It may be best to use a kitchen scale.
Made this for myself last night. While it was great, I did run into 2 problems. 1)I couldn’t cover the pot right away because of the length of pasta, so I had to wait til it got boiled to put the lid on for a few minutes; 2)it doesn’t work quite right with wheat pasta. It turned out to be very starchy.
That being said, I still love it.. actually having it right now as lunch!!
Okay, this was AMAZING. I didn’t cover the pot when it first started to cook and came to a boil. It all still worked and turned out fine. It was delicious and I can’t wait to make it again!
Made this for dinner last night….yum! Hubby and son loved it, too! I think the best part was the “magic” of the one-pot easy-to-make meal! I couldn’t believe how well it worked! We’re already planning on making it again soon. Thanks!
Oh God, this was sooo good!! My husband also loved it. I adore your blog. I really do!!
Made this with chicken stock as half the liquid, and turned out superb! Easy, easy, easy. I like extra tomatos in mine.
Made this and it was perfect! And SO EASY!!
Will this work with the ninja cooker? It looks amazing!
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to give exact conversion information to translate a traditional stovetop recipe to be used in a slow cooker without further recipe testing. However, here is an article worth checking out on a possible conversion guide: http://www.thekitchn.com/5-tips-for-converting-recipes-to-the-slow-cooker-189343.
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I usually break my noodles in half so they cook evenly and I added some olive oil for taste. Perfect and simple.
I actually made this for my family tonight. The only change I made was linguine instead of spaghetti. Mine turned out perfectly, no extra water, and everyone loved it. Delicious indeed.
Made this last night….it was really good! I added raw sliced mushrooms and substituted chicken broth for 2 cups of the liquid. Loved it and realized how versatile the dish is as far as making your own additions. The only issue I had was that my onions were still a little too crunchy for my liking. I think next time I might saute them a bit before adding to the water. Other than that I loved it!
Made this tonight! I used two cups chicken broth and two and a half of water,, absolutely wonderful! Didn’t have quite a cup of Parmesan so used some grated asiago delicious will make again soon!!!
I made this last night and it was amazing! I sliced the onions and garlic paper thin and they disappeared into the sauce, helping it to thicken up. The cheese at the end brought it all together. The smoked andouille, garlic, basil, and onion all provided fabulous flavor. This is a keeper and will go into the regular rotation for sure!
I love that it’s not only one pot, you don’t even need to drain noodles. 🙂 Easiest pasta dish ever. So delicious and a great way to use random garden veggies in whatever amounts they are available. The noodles are so flavorful too!
Wow this is so delicious! Great recipe! I added about a 1/2 lb of shrimp, a little oregano and red pepper for some kick.
It turned out great. We’ve made something similar with macaroni noodles but I never thought of spaghetti.
Thank you!
I’m definitely going to try this. I’m finding it hard to just think of everything as just boiled. I would tend to want to fry the onion and the sausage for a little bit first but will give it the benefit of the doubt and try.
I think I problem for some of you with the water is that if you’re just using a whole package of store bought pasta chances are its 13.25 ounces not 16 which is what she’s said to use. You need to look at how mach pasta you’re using. You’d need to adjust the water or yes you’re going to end up with over cooked or soupy noodles. I use 3 3/4 cup with whole grain pasta 13.25, turned out fine
Very nice. Used chicken stock, Italian sausages (cooked beforehand) and added celery and red capsicum also. Very easy to prepare. Might add a few more herbs next time to give it extra flavour and maybe some pasta sauce. Used spinach fettuccine in place of spaghetti. Really loved the ease of this dish. Thanks for a great recipe.
Oh…and also used 1 x can crushed tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes.
You are my hero. I love pasta and was bored of the normal jar sauces and found this. I love how you can add some of this or some of that so every time is different. With the holidays coming and lots of bring your own dish get togethers this is always my go to meal and the only sad thing never any leftovers for me. Thank You!
What if I am cooking with fresh pasta?
Unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
I have made this MANY MANY TIMES …. I LOVE IT … I made a few changes, I like a little more liquid so I use a can of stewed tomatoes and a can of sliced black olives (both cans with their liquid) plus 1 extra cup of water, finally red pepper flakes …. making this for dinner tonight!!! And turkey sausage works great here too.
That looks amazing, I am definitely cooking this tomorrow. Just a question? Isn’t the basil leaves taste too strong after cooking?
Not at all – they cook down quite a bit.
It looks so yummy. I am hungry.!!! Hi. now i have a new repice. Thank for share. I will make it for my kids
Great recipe! Loved the spicy sausage and creamy sauce. My whole family enjoyed it and I will be making it again! Thanks Chungah!
Made this today for dinner, it was really good. My husband loved it. I added extra garlic because we like lots. Two thumbs up 🙂
Made this tonight for dinner. It was really good and my husband loved it. I added extra garlic just because we like it. Easy to make, I give it two thumbs up.
I didn’t make this in one pot. I couldn’t trust that it wouldn’t turn into a sloppy mess. It turned out pretty good cooking noodles separate then adding sautéed sausage, onion, garlic, basil and oregano. I stirred the tomatoes in last.
Trust this one. Just keep stirring and taste the spaghetti periodically. It really works.
In the pictures of the ‘done’ dish, I don’t see the basil. Did you take it out? You might have already answered this – but I couldn’t find it.
Thanks! Gonna try this tomorrow night.
Nope – the basil is still there. It’s just cooked down.
This is the best one pot spaghetti dish ever!!!! My other half is still raving about it and wants it to be a regular weekly event. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I think I love you…
This dinner was amazing! I can’t cook and I hate to cook but this was super easy. Will be making this a regular in my house.
Can this be made with corkscrew pasta?
Yes, absolutely.
By mistake I dropped way too much Italian pepper flakes when I made this recipe and the result was a dish that was too spicy for my taste. However everyone else in my house went nuts over it and have begged me to make the spicy spaghetti again. So…for those of you who like hot stuff, here’s a way to turn this into a hot and spicy dish!
pictures look great-i made my copy, plus took note of all the additions/subtractions that are listed in the comments. looking foward to this one pot meal, that i will try without additions,then if it needs changing to my taste i will go from there. thanks for the great post!!
Only one Word: yummy!
Great quick meal. I used whole wheat spaghetti and chicken stock, and i didn’t have any Paremsan cheese. I added crumbled feta on top of each serving. Excellent!
What a great recipe–I have to say I was skeptical but I got home from work around 6:15 and we were digging in to a delicious meal by a quarter to seven. This one’s going on the list of regular work-week meals!
I used a smoked kielbasa in place of the andouille (my husband isn’t a “spicy food” guy–yeah, I know, but he has many other good qualities 😉 ). I didn’t have any fresh basil but I had put some of last summer’s harvest up in the freezer, chopped and frozen in olive oil, so I threw a couple of cubes of that in.
This really was a delicious meal! Next time I may halve it, since it’s just the two of us, but then again…these are going to be pretty good leftovers!
It looks delicious. Very nice post! Thank you so much!
I made this recently and it was delicious! I’d like to double the recipe for a family gathering. I’m not sure how to adjust the amount of water, though, since it all needs to boil off. Would I double it, too?
I have found that one pot recipes are very finicky when doubling so if you require additional servings, I recommend making this twice – sorry!
This recipe was so amazingly easy and delicious! I halved the recipe, used smoked turkey sausage, and added a bouillon cube. The only thing I will do differently next time is maybe skip the parmesan at the end or have it as a garnish for individual portions. Adding it immediately made it melt into the pasta and it sort of overpowered the taste the noodles had absorbed from the sausage and broth. Excellent one-pot recipe!
Hi – are you using pre-cooked sausage in this recipe or raw?
Pre-cooked.
I tried making this tonight, finally, after having it saved for over a year and it was a crowd pleaser. I added in 2 handfuls of fresh spinach like someone else suggested in the simmer phase and used dried basil instead of fresh other than that followed it and all 4 boys loved it. Thank you!
Made this tonight in hopes to add something new to our list of dinners! I was a bit nervous at first, but it turned out delicious! It is far from boring. My husband ate it faster than I could blink. He enjoys being the guinea pig for new recipes 😉 Thanks for this and I love you blog! Keep it comin!
I made this tonight for the first time and my fiance and I both LOVED this pasta! Easy, cheap, and amazing? Definitely adding this to our rotation 🙂
LOVE LOVE LOVE! Like the rest of the recipes I have tried from this amazing blog, it was a hit. My super picky kids ate this like they were never going to eat again. Very easy, delicious, and something I have already passed along to a few friends. Definitely going in the recipe binder I am creating for my niece when she gets out of the college dorms and on her own.
I’ve done this twice, and its great. Partly because its so easy. This is a great recipe for beginning home cooks.
I made this last night.
First, let me say that I’m ALWAYS searching for fast & healthy meals to make for our busy family. I have been cooking & baking since I was a teenager so I feel like I have a good grip on the subject.
I also know (from my 25+ years of experience) that you have to READ not some, but ALL of the ingredients list AND the directions before beginning! I know it sounds difficult, but TRUST ME on this one.
I’m honestly baffled at how many people asked about the water content in this recipe! And how many people didn’t read the part about leaving a lid off the pan during cooking.
Honestly! How do you people do….anything when you half ass everything?!?
And for those of you who whine and moan about a recipe not being “gluten free” or “vegan” well, for goodness sake, go and find another recipe that already suits your needs! There’s no need to start trying to substitute ingredients out and then complain about it on the back end when it didn’t turn out! Besides, there are WAY TOO MANY other recipes out there! Am I right?! *cough cough PINTEREST cough*
Now that I’ve said my piece on you half-assers and you sub-whiners, let me tell you what I thought of this recipe after I read EVERY SINGLE WORD (crazy, right?!), thoughtfully planned and purchased the EXACT ingredients and lovingly chopped, and sliced, and boiled everything to perfection.
The result?
Spicy but REALLY BLAND.
Imagine you were making spaghetti and meatballs and you cooked the pasta al dente and you made your best (spicy) meatballs but you decided not to put the sauce on it. Or, in the case of you folks who asked all of the questions about the water, you skimmed over the part about the sauce therefore you remain in a perpetual state of confusion and frustration like I am when I read your comments.
Overall, this is a *fast & easy* recipe and it does use healthy, whole food ingredients but MY LORD, the pasta part of the dish is BLAND-even with all that *thinly sliced onion* & garlic!
This recipe definitely needs more tweaking!
But hey, that’s just my 2 cents!
Good Luck & a big ole HIGH FIVE to those water people if you made it through to the end of this! 😉