I created this One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs in an effort to speed my normal spaghetti and meatball recipe (which seems to take forever!). By cooking the meatballs and noodles in the same pot you cut out boiling water, draining the noodles, and cleaning the colander and the pasta water pot. I am all about not washing extra dishes!
In testing this recipe I made some important notes:
- Use a non-stick skillet so the noodles don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Stir the noodles every 3-5 minutes so they don’t stick together.
- Be careful when lifting of the lid while cooking the noodles because the marinara sauce splatters everywhere.
- Don’t forget to serve it with crusty bread!
One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs is an easy dinner recipe.
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 45
- Yield: 4 1x
Scale
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 2 slices white bread with the crust cut off
- 1/4 cup buttermilk (sub regular milk)
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20 or 90/10 both work)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pasta:
- 1 cup marinara (jarred or homemade)
- 2 1/2 cups broth (I used chicken broth)
- 8 oz dried spaghetti noodles (about half a box, I prefer the pot ready spaghetti since it’s cut in half and it fits in the pot better)
For serving don’t forget:
- Additional Marinara if you like your pasta saucy
- Grated Parmesan
- Crusty Bread
- Parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Smash the slices of bread into the buttermilk in a large mixing bowl until a thick paste forms.
- Toss in the beef, egg, Parmesan, salt, garlic powder, and pepper and mix everything together.
- Heat up a 10-12 inch non-stick skillet, preferably one with tall sides and a lid, to medium heat.
- Form 2 inch meatballs and place them into the pan (you should get at least 10 meatball in there!).
- Brown one side of the meatballs for 10 minutes, then rotate them using tongs and cook for another 10 minutes browning as much of each meatball as possible.
- Remove the meatballs from the pan onto a plate, and drain the grease from the pan into a bowl (NOT down your sink!). You can discard the grease in the trash once it cools.
- Place the pan back on the burner and turn the heat down to medium-low.
- Add 1 cup of marinara and 2 1/2 cups of broth, and half a package of dried spaghetti noodles to the pan. Cover it with a lid and let the liquids come to a simmer.
- Simmer for 12-15 minutes stirring at least every 3-5 minutes so the noodles don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the noodles are finished and the meatball back into the pot, top everything with more Parmesan, and serve!
Notes
The meatball recipe I use is adapted from America’s Test Kitchen.
Here are more of my favorite pasta recipes:
I can relate to not washing any more dishes than I have to! I grew up with the spaghetti and sauce in different pots and loathed seeing the dishes afterwards. However, I think combining the noodles and sauce is a good idea.
Thank you!