One-Pot Pasta Recipe With Ground Meat – Easy 20 Minute Meal!
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This amazing one-pot pasta with ground meat is so yummy, cheesy and comforting! All ingredients are cooked along with pasta in one pot, blending the flavors together – amazing! So simple and so delicious!
This mouthwatering 20-minute one-pot pasta is truly hearty and full of meat! Ground turkey or beef is cooked with onions and fresh garlic in a pot, then tomato sauce and pasta are added and everything is simmered together until the pasta is al-dente. As a finishing touch, shredded Mozzarella cheese is stirred in, melting from the heat of the freshly cooked pasta. Hearty meat, gooey stretchy cheese and a sauce full of flavor – what a perfect way for you to warm up on a cold day! This delicious pasta really hits the spot, everyone can use this comforting warmth in their life!
When you cook the pasta together with meat and tomato sauce, the pasta really soaks up all those rich flavors! Unlike conventional pasta recipes where the plain pasta is coated with sauce (remaining plain on the inside), the one-pot pasta is permeated with sauce! The pasta itself cooks in those rich sauce ingredients instead of plain water, and the meat, garlic and tomato flavor really gets inside the pasta! Add the gooey melted cheese all over, and you’ve got yourself a pasta perfection!
Another awesome feature of a one-pot pasta is that there is only one pot to wash! Everything is cooked together in one pot. The less dishes to wash the better! Plus the whole recipe takes just 20 minutes from start to finish! Cooking the ground meat takes about 5 minutes, plus another 10-15 minutes once you add the pasta and other sauce ingredients! I love shortcuts! With this amazing one-pot pasta recipe, you are just 20 minutes away from a delicious comforting dinner on your table!
This yummy 20-minute one-pot pasta with ground meat is also great for your budget! All the ingredients are really simple and cheap, and this pasta dish feeds 6 hungry people. Just get the ground beef or turkey on sale, plus onion, garlic, a can of tomato sauce, a can of chopped tomatoes, a bag of shredded cheese and a box of pasta. That’s a dinner for 6 for under $15! I often already have all this stuff in my freezer and pantry anyway, making it a perfect spontaneous dinner! It also freezes very well, feel free to freeze the leftovers for later. This one-pot pasta is so yummy through that I can eat it several days in a row until there is absolutely nothing left!
If you like the idea of one-pot pasta as much as I do, here’s another amazing one-pot pasta recipe:
For more frugal recipes with ground meat, check out these:
Ground Beef And Potato Casserole
Baked Pasta Shells Casserole With Ground Meat
One-Pot Pasta With Ground Turkey Or Beef
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 lb ground turkey or beef
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 can 14 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 can 15 oz tomato sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1 package 16 oz ziti or penne pasta
- 1 package 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ground meat, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt and Italian seasoning, and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and water and mix until combined. Add pasta. When the liquid comes to a boil, cover the pot and reduce heat to simmer. Cook, stirring every 2 minutes, for 12 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked. If there is not enough liquid during the cooking process, add more water (1/2 cup at a time).
- Remove the one-pot pasta from heat and stir in shredded mozzarella cheese.
I LOVED boxed beef-a-roni growing up. This recipe is nostalgia, thank you!
Hi Melanie,
I want to make this one pot pasta and chopped meat but I’m confused as how to cook the pasta with only 3 cups of water? Do you have to make the pasta first, then add everything else? Thank you
Everything is cooked together, including the pasta. The reason why there is so little water is because with this method pasta doesn’t need to be drained, all water should be absorbed by the pasta by the end of cooking. If all the water has been absorbed/evaporated and pasta is still not completely cooked, you can add 1 additional cup of water.
This is AMAZING! As a first time mom and learning how to juggle everything…this recipe makes dinner quick, fun, and easy! Thank you!! :)
Hi!
Can i be lazy and just sub a jar of premade marinara?
Of course! That’s what I do most of the time myself :)
Excellent one pot goulash! Look no further. Thank you for such a simple, inexpensive recipe. Other recipes for goulash were bland and contained small amounts of pasta. This recipe used the entire 14 oz box of Barilla penne so makes a ton. I added 1/2 tsp Penzeys 33rd and Galena seasoning sautéed with the garlic, I used 1 tsp each basil and oregano instead of Italian seasoning, and only 1/4 tsp salt. I used unsalted tomatoes and tomato sauce. It cooked about 20 minutes to get the pasta al dente. I added 1/2 C water two times early in the cooking. Good flavor and low sodium. And lots of great left-overs. Thank you!
Turned out great! Super simple to make! Was out of turkey so I used ground chicken. Didn’t have tomato sauce, so I used tomato paste. Needed a bit more flavor so I added some garlic and onion powder, some fennel seeds, and a dash of red pepper flakes. I also used a little bit of beef bouillon. Everyone loved it! I wasn’t sure about the pasta cooking, but it worked out just fine! I did have to add about a cup more water, but it turned out great! Thank you for a super quick, one pan pasta!!
Made this tonight and my daughter who is very picky loved it along with hubby! I did not use the can of tomatoes but instead used a full jar of spaghetti sauce and it was delicious. I am keeping this recipe when I want to make something easy, fast and all in one pot. Less mess to clean is a bonus.
I’m looking for a recipe that is budget friendly and simple to do. I saw this recipe. Thank you for your website I found very helpful recipes for my daily living.
It’s so simple and delicious! 😋😍
So simple and delicious! One pot meals are my favorite for a quick meal. I used ziti, not quite a whole 16 oz box, and pasta sauce. Thank you for this recipe