One Pot Pasta. I feel like that’s all I really need to say to get your attention. I guess I could also say One Pot, Thirty Minute Pasta. Or One Pot, Thirty Minute, Cheesy Pasta. Or One Pot, Thirty Minute–
Okay, I feel like I’ve piqued your interest, yes? Basically, this is everything you want in a quick, delicious one pot pasta recipe. It’s flavorful without being difficult to make. It’s filling without being too rich. It’s versatile enough to go with almost any side dish. Who doesn’t love a good one pot meal? Some favorites in our house are, American Goulash, Chili Mac, Boilermaker Chili, and Crockpot White Chicken Chili! Comfort food that pleases everyone and is easy one pot clean up!
Ready to get the details? Let’s get going!
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What I Love About One Pot Pasta Recipe
What’s not to love about a dish that requires so little from you? One pot pasta is comfort food at its best!
- One pot means minimal cleanup
- Thirty minutes to make!
- Fresh, simple ingredients
- Hearty food for the soul
Recipe Notes
What would a one pot pasta dish you can make in thirty minutes be if it wasn’t also versatile? Read on for some of my favorite notes!
Ingredient Notes
Bucatini is Best. If you’ve never had bucatini noodles, you are in for a TREAT. These spaghetti-shaped tubes are thick enough to soak up this recipe’s delicious tomato sauce, but they’re long and slender enough to wrap cozily around your fork. I honestly find it hard to go back to spaghetti after bucatini — it’s just such a satisfying noodle!
Carrots? Really? There go carrots, sneaking into another recipe! Isn’t it amazing how these sweet, snappy veggies can pop up and instantly make a dish yummier? But actually, carrots, onions, and celery make one version of a mirepoix, an aromatic base for many different dishes. More importantly, the carrots add just the right amount of sweetness to balance the sharp acidity of canned tomatoes.
So if it seems weird to put carrots in a pasta dish, fear not! Just try it once. I promise you’ll love it!
Where’s the sauce? If you’ll notice, there isn’t actually tomato sauce added to this recipe. But! By taking the tomato paste and adding water to it, guess what you’re making? Yep! Tomato paste + water = a quick, tasty tomato sauce. Tomato paste gives your sauce a richer, deeper flavor.
Dietary restrictions? If you need to make this dish gluten-free, it’s as easy as swapping your noodles for the gluten-free version. Or you could even try spaghetti squash, but be sure to pre-bake it in the oven instead of boiling it in the sauce.
One Pot Pasta Sausage Storing Tips
Overestimated the amount of one pot pasta you needed? Don’t want to let this delectable comfort food favorite go to waste? Read on!
Can You Freeze This?
Well, cooked pasta is always dicey! It gets softer in the freezing process, so if that’s not something you can tolerate, better to eat this dish the day its made. If you decide to try freezing it, do so carefully. As always, be sure to first cool your dish, then transfer to an airtight container to prevent freezer burn. You can store one pot pasta recipe for up to four months.
Make Ahead Tips
Since so much of this recipe comes together in stages (add the aromatics, then the tomato paste, then the sausage, etc), if you want to get a jump start on this recipe, your best bet is to prep all the stages beforehand so you can just add, add, add.
You can also premix the aromatics — the onions, garlic, thyme, carrots, celery, and salt — and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
Once fully cooked and ready, you can store one pot pasta in your fridge for up to four days. The same soggy-pasta warning applies, though — if you want to retain your noodle structure, be sure you don’t cook your bucatini past the al dente stage.
When you’re ready to reheat and eat, you can add a splash of water to your bowl to help rehydrate your noodles. Also, top with fresh cheese — because who doesn’t love even more cheese?
Recipe Variations
Can I Make One Pot Pasta Vegetarian Style?
Of course! Swapping meat for a vegetarian-friendly alternative is as simple as one, two, MUSHROOMS! A hearty mushroom like sliced portabella will make a great mushroom pasta dish.
One of my favorite vegetarian pasta dishes is cacio e pepe — literally “cheese and pepper.” It’s as simple as it sounds! Pasta, cheese, pepper, a little butter, and you’ve got a vegetarian-friendly meal that’s just as easy and delicious as one pot pasta recipe. You can even use dairy-free cheese or butter alternatives to make it vegan!
Can I Make One Pot Pasta Chicken or Beef Instead?
Who used to eat this stuff by the can as a kid? Who still does? Just me? Fine, I’ll admit it — I’m a Beefaroni enthusiast. So making one pot pasta recipe, adding beef instead of sausage, makes my heart so, so happy. You can even use elbow macaroni too!
Chicken would also be a yummy addition! Try shredded rotisserie chicken for a seasoned flavor addition, or even canned chicken if you’re in a pinch!
Can I Use Taco Seasoning In This Recipe?
Taco Pasta? Yes, please! Sprinkle your one pot pasta with a taco seasoning packet of your choice — or even make your own taco seasoning with a combination of cumin, paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder — and cook as follows.
If you want to round up a crowd of hungry kids, you can always break out the crunchy taco shells and have them load up your one pot pasta into those toasty vessels. Taco Stuffed Shells is always a kid-pleasing dinner!
Can I Use Other Tube-Shaped Pasta?
Bucatini is like the King of Tube-Shaped Pasta. But if you want a smaller version, try rigatoni — its shorter, wider tube shape will pair deliciously with the chunky meat and acidic sauce. Or opt for cannelloni and toe the line with casserole — cook according to the directions below, then cool and fill the shells. You can also add ricotta cheese to really emphasize the goodness!
What Other Types of Pasta I Can Use?
The sky’s the limit with one pot pasta recipe! Want a thicker noodle? Try fettuccine — but be sure to lengthen your cooking time, it’s notoriously fickle with cooking times. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve gone really, really al dente with those stiff little buggers.
One of my favorite alternatives for this dish is to add pre-stuffed ravioli. The grocery store offers all kinds of varieties in the refrigerated noodle section. I love the three-cheese stuffed ravioli, or even sausage and spinach. It adds such a tasty pop of surprise to one pot pasta recipe!
One Pot Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- salt
- pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
- 1 can (28 ounce) diced tomatoes
- 12 ounces bucatini, broken in half
- 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Stir in onions, garlic, thyme, carrots, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and saute until onions are translucent. Stir in tomato paste, stirring to coat the vegetables and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the sausage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Brown the sausage, breaking it up into large chunk with a spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Pour the canned tomatoes and 3 cups of water over sausage mixture. Add bucatini and salt stirring to ensure the bucatini is submerged.
- Bring to a boil, stirring often, until the bucatini is cooked to al dente, about 10-12 minutes. Add parmesan and adjust seasoning. Garnish with parsley and serve.
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More Pasta Recipes
Easy, breezy, tasty dinners get no better than one pot pasta recipe! Okay, how about I just give you all my favorite pasta dishes?
- Cajun Pasta
- Manicotti
- Pasta Primavera
- Pizza Pasta
- Greek Pasta
Conclusion
One Pot Pasta is a meal superstar. Comfort food quick and easy, with a clean-up that will make you rejoice. The next time you feel like you just can’t pull together a delicious meal in time for dinner, I hope you remember this recipe. And know that I believe in you!
What’s your favorite type of pasta noodle? Let me know in the comments!
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