Description
Quick and easy one pot pasta recipes perfect for busy weeknights, using pantry staples and minimal cleanup.
Ingredients
Scale
- Pasta (short shapes like penne, rotini, macaroni, or broken spaghetti)
- Low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- Oil or butter for cooking
- Onion, garlic, or shallot
- Veggies (spinach, peas, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, cherry tomatoes)
- Protein (cooked chicken, Italian sausage, ground beef, tuna, chickpeas)
- Tomato paste or canned tomatoes
- Dried Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes
- Cream or half and half (optional)
- Cheese (Parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar)
- Fresh basil or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil or butter and sauté diced onion and minced garlic until fragrant.
- Add uncooked pasta, seasonings, and enough broth to mostly cover.
- Simmer, stirring occasionally, adding more liquid if necessary.
- Once the pasta is nearly tender, stir in your protein, creamy elements, and cheese.
- Finish with fresh herbs and extra cheese as desired.
Notes
Keep liquid levels near the pasta. Adjust seasonings and liquid as needed to avoid a watery sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: One Pot Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
Keywords: one pot pasta, quick dinner, easy recipes, family meals, weeknight cooking