One Pot Pasta

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This one pot pasta dish cooks spaghetti in the sauce, so the noodles absorb the tomato, broth and meat flavor as they soften. Beef, sausage, cream and Parmesan give the sauce more body, and the long simmer enriches the delicious flavors.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 25

Total Time1 35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian-American

Keyword: beef, ground beef, Italian Sausage, one pot, one pot pasta, one pot spaghetti, pasta

Servings:

Author: Bella Bucchiotti

Equipment

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion medium
2 carrots medium
2 Stalks celery
5 Cloves garlic chopped finely
1 Pound Italian sausage
1 Pound ground beef I used 85/15
3 Cups beef broth
2 Cups passata plus ½ Cup water mixed in the passata bottle to get all the sauce out of the bottle
1 Teaspoon sugar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Sprigs fresh basil
½ Teaspoon garlic powder
½ Teaspoon onion powder
1 Teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 Teaspoon salt
½ Teaspoon pepper
1 Pound spaghetti uncooked noodles
1 Sprig fresh thyme optional
½ Cup heavy cream at room temperature
½ Cup Parmesan cheese grated

Optional Garnishes

fresh parsley
red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

Saute the Veggies

Chop onion, carrots and celery stalks into small ⅛ to ¼ inch sized pieces. Try to cut them to equal sizes; I used a mandolin.
Into a 5.5-quart Dutch oven, pour oil and wait until it has a slight sizzle before adding the onions, carrots, and celery.
Sauté 5 to 10 minutes until cooked through on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the Dutch oven.

Brown the Meat

Turn heat down to low, add your hamburger meat and sausage to fry until they’re browned and completely cooked through. This should take about 10 minutes.
Drain the excess grease (optional).
Return the cooked veggies to the pan.
Note: Alternatively you can cook the meat and veggies together if you’re in a rush (but the meat might not brown as much).

Make the Sauce

Next, add one cup of the beef broth, all the passata (including the water), sugar, Worcestershire sauce, basil leaves, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red chili flakes, and a fresh thyme sprig.
Let it simmer with the lid on for 1 hour on very low heat, stirring occasionally. If you don’t stir occasionally, the mixture could stick to the bottom of the pan. If the mixture looks too thick, like chili consistency, after an hour, you can add an extra cup or two of beef broth.

Add the Pasta

Bring the sauce up to a slight boil and add your dry, uncooked spaghetti noodles. You may have to break them in half so that they fit in your Dutch oven. Stir the noodles often while cooking, so they don’t stick or burn.
If your mixture is too thick, add water ¼ cup at a time. It should take 15 minutes or so for the noodles to become al dente.

Add the Dairy

Add your heavy cream and freshly grated Parmesan and stir until the cheese melts.
Immediately remove from heat and discard the basil and thyme.

Garnish and Serve

Serve immediately with fresh parsley and extra Parmesan cheese on top for garnish if liked.

Notes

Brown the meat well: Don’t rush this part. Better browning gives the sauce a deeper meat flavor.
Keep the vegetable pieces small: Large chunks won’t blend into the sauce the same way and can make it feel rougher.
Stir often after adding the spaghetti: This is the point where sticking is most likely.
Use freshly grated Parmesan: It melts more smoothly and won’t make the sauce grainy.
Hold back some broth: Adding the last bit only if needed to give you better control over the final texture.

Nutrition

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