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.
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.
Ingredient Notes
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).
I like to add meat, lean ground beef, into the mix but that is optional. I feel it makes the meal a lot heartier but is optional. You could leave it vegetarian with just the spaghetti sauce and pasta together.
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).
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 Frozen 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!
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.
How Long to Cook Spaghetti in Spaghetti Sauce
Once it reaches a slow rolling boil with everything together it takes about 15 minutes to get tender. Now there is a wide range depending on how high your flame is and whether you want the noodles to stay a bit al dente but 10-15 usually does it.
You can make this similarly in the oven with our baked spaghetti and meatballs recipe too. 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.
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.
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 spaghetti sauce, spoonful of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce or chicken broth on top too.
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 frozen 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.
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.
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?!!!!!!!!!