This is our lazy one pot spaghetti with jar sauce recipe made with ground beef, noodles and water all cooked together! Use just a stock pot and in 15 minutes a meal you and your kids will absolutely love will be done.
Jump To
- Can You Cook Noodles in a Jar of Spaghetti Sauce?
- Do you need to cook the meat first?
- One Pot Spaghetti with Meatballs
- What type of noodles are best for spaghetti?
- Can you use homemade sauce?
- How much spaghetti do I need for one jar of sauce?
- One Pot Spaghetti Recipe
- With Frozen Meatballs
- What’s a good side for spaghetti?
- How do you keep leftover pasta from drying out?
- FAQ
I am a Mother of 3 + my husband and I work full time, so needless to say I need simple and easy pasta dish ideas often! Italian is one of our favorite types of food but often times it is too time consuming with our busy schedule, until now. It’s like our Ninja Foodi spaghetti but made on the stove.
Can You Cook Noodles in a Jar of Spaghetti Sauce?
Yes!! If you have only boiled noodles in water and then combined them with the spaghetti sauce later you are in for a real treat!! Cooking noodles in sauce (that has been thinned a bit with water) gives your meal SO much more flavor friends, you have to try it!!
This lazy spaghetti feeds all 5 of us easily with leftovers for someone for lunch the next day. My oldest daughter does the dishes so she REALLY loves this because she literally has only one pot to clean!
You will want a pot that will fit all of your ingredients together. Typically the pot you use to boil your spaghetti noodles is ideal, you can see ours below.
Do you need to cook the meat first?
Yes. If you want to add ground beef and/or onions and garlic do so first. You want meat to be browned and add-ins softened for the ideal texture. Spicy Italian sausage is a great choice if you want it a bit spicy.
One Pot Spaghetti with Meatballs
You could add a few cups of frozen meatballs too in this mix too. There is really no need to thaw or cook them in the microwave first, you can just add them in with the pasta sauce so they can begin to get tender, then add the noodles over medium heat until those are al dente and serve!
What type of noodles are best for spaghetti?
I use the long pasta spirals if I can find them but really any shaped noodles will work for this. The only change is the cook time which is minimal. Medium shapes like shells are great with kids (and you because they are less messy).
To get the ideal texture you want to cook, stirring every minute or so in order for the noodles to stay separated and not stick together. Test often once they appear to be tender and serve immediately for best results.
Can you use homemade sauce?
You can certainly make homemade spaghetti sauce from scratch but a jar of Ragu is quicker and tastes amazing. I typically always add some fresh garlic too (can’t get enough), an onion, and about a pound of ground beef are all you need. Now you can make this spicy with kielbasa sausage instead or add some red pepper flakes into the sauce to heat things up!
I add a section above with optional add-ins. These are things that I will include if I have them on hand to make the flavor and texture even better. With that said I kept it totally plain with my girls when they were little, then would add one thing, and then another until they either developed a taste for them or didn’t notice. 😉
When we serve this I am expected to top it with lots of parmesan cheese. We just can’t get enough of that. As for the sauce I will make spaghetti with meat sauce almost always because I think it just offers more taste than others but that is entirely up to your family’s preferences.
Next to our Instant Pot spaghetti and Instant Pot penne pasta (just smaller noodles), This is the easiest way to make this favorite dish fast.
How much spaghetti do I need for one jar of sauce?
8 ounces is just about right! You can just use half of this package at a time. That means it’s just 50 cents per batch. You don’t have to use the typical straight long noodles either. If you prefer shells or penne you can use that too, the timing or directions don’t really change.
One Pot Spaghetti Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pot
Ingredients
- 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 24 ounces
- 2 cups water
- 8 oz noodles
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef, optional
Instructions
- Brown your ground beef/or turkey in your one pot with a bit of olive oil. Add 1/2 cup diced onion and 2 tbsp minced garlic (both optional) in about halfway thru until tender.
- Then add 2 cups of water (or beef broth) and your spaghetti sauce. Wait until that boils.
- Add about 8 oz. of long pasta spiral noodles broken into thirds into the pot, submerge into the sauce. Add sliced mushrooms on top if desired at this point. Simmer for about 15 min. or until noodles are tender.
Video
Notes
With Frozen Meatballs
If you want to add 1 pound of frozen meatballs, add into the sauce once it begins to bubble. Allow to cook until tender to your liking. At that time add your noodles and boil together until noodles are al dente to your liking and serve together.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What’s a good side for spaghetti?
There are tons of options really. We usually veer towards a green salad and definitely we always want some garlic bread with it. If you don’t want to turn on your oven give our air fryer rolls a whirl. We love something we can kinda’ soak up what is left on our plate or bowl and bread is a great option for that.
How do you keep leftover pasta from drying out?
You definitely want to make sure there is enough sauce on the noodles. Toss a bit more with it before putting it into containers and into the fridge. When reheating in the microwave add a bit more Instant Pot spaghetti sauce, spoonful of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce or chicken broth on top too.
FAQ
Yes!! We will show you here how to make pasta with jar sauce and browned ground meat all in one pot so there’s less to clean and your noodles soak up the flavors of the sauce which make them more delicious.
Made this and it’s wonderful!! Worked just like the recipe said, full of flavor, and enjoyed by hubby and I. Plan to make it to take to the guys working in the corn field as they do get tired of sandwiches! A Keeper!
so glad, it is one of our favorites as well
Do you drain the fat from the meat, or is that not necessary?
I don’t. It adds flavor and helps it to not stick to the bottom.
it says about a pound up top.
there isn’t an amount of meat in your recipe, how much do you need?
thanks for the recipe
Ohhhhhh you a karen?!!!!!!!!!