One Pot Pasta
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The easiest, most amazing pasta you will ever make. Even the pasta gets cooked right in the pot. How easy is that?!
This is probably by far 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 is it.
The hardest part is waiting for the pasta to cook through and having the liquid reduced, which really just takes about 8-10 minutes. Not long at all.
Stir in your freshly grated Parmesan (freshly grated is key here) and top with additional Parm, if desired.
One Pot Pasta
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
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, until pasta is cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in Parmesan.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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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.
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!!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 🙂
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.
I made this last night for myself and my roomates. It was so good for so little effort. 🙂
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’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.
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.
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.
Mad this with spicy Italian sausage, green pepper and veggie pasta. So good!
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.
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.
Just made this for my family… Everyone loved it and it was so easy!!
I noticed you use a white onion can I use red onion?
Yes, a red onion should work just fine.