Dinner doesn’t get much easier than this One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs. Dry spaghetti and frozen meatballs cook in a seasoned marinara sauce in under 30 minutes for a family-friendly Italian meal.
Looking for easy dinners for busy days? We love my Philly Cheesesteak Pasta and Skillet Sausage Pasta.
This easy Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe has back to school week written all over it! This is precisely the kind of recipe I would turn to during those busy times.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Store-bought frozen meatballs are cooked from their frozen state which means you can make this recipe with no advance planning.
- It calls for simple, easy to stock ingredients.
- Everything cooks together in one pot so cleanup is super easy.
- It’s both adult and kid-friendly.
Ingredient Notes
- Marinara sauce – Your favorite brand. I’ve been loving Rao’s Marinara.
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Low sodium broth – Either beef or chicken broth.
- Water – If you want to up the flavor factor, you can replace all or part of the water with red wine.
- Seasoning – Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper flakes for a little kick.
- Spaghetti – Uncooked and broken in half so they’ll easily immerse in the liquid and cook properly.
- Frozen Italian meatballs – Fully cooked meatballs about 1- to 1-½ inch in diameter. I like the great big bag of beef Italian meatballs from Costco but any brand will do. There’s no need to thaw them in advance.
- Fresh parsley
- Grated Parmesan cheese
How to Make One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Add the marinara, diced tomatoes, broth, water, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper flakes (if using) to a Dutch oven and place over high heat. Stir in the frozen meatballs.
- Bring the sauce to a boil and add the uncooked spaghetti. Cover and simmer until the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally throughout the cooking time.
- Next, remove the lid and stir in the parsley and half of the Parmesan.
- Stir the mixture, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, and you are ready to serve!
It’s important to break the spaghetti noodles in half to fit your pot. This way they will be fully immersed in the liquid throughout the cooking time.
Serving Suggestions
Make One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs an easy meal by tossing a green salad and warming a loaf of French bread. Or, round out the menu with any of the recipes below.
- Simple Italian Salad with Hot Dog Bun Croutons
- Cheater Garlic Bread
- Homemade Cheesy Bread Sticks
- Pesto Green Beans
More One Pot Pasta Recipes
- Skillet Lasagna
- Chicken and Spinach Skillet Pasta
- Meaty Tortellini Skillet
- One Pot Cheesy Cajun Pasta
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta
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One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 1½ cups low sodium beef or chicken broth
- 1 cup water, or red wine
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 12 ounces dry spaghetti, uncooked and broken in half
- 24 fully cooked 1- to 1-½ inch frozen Italian meatballs, no need to thaw (about 1 pound)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Instructions
- Add the marinara, diced tomatoes, broth, water, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and crushed red pepper flakes (if using) to a Dutch oven and place over HIGH heat. Stir in the frozen meatballs.
- Bring the sauce to a boil and add the uncooked spaghetti. Cover and simmer for 16 to 18 minutes or until the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally throughout the cooking time.
- Remove the lid and stir in the parsley and half of the Parmesan. Garnish with remaining Parmesan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Kid-Friendly Dinner Ideas
This makes for a great dinner! We used Walmart brand Italian meatballs, Rao’s Sausage and Mushrooms sauce, and Rao’s spaghetti. I see why people love their sauce and the pasta is hearty!
What size dutch oven to make recipe for 6?
I use a 5.5 quart Le Creuset Dutch oven.
I made this for my husband and three grandsons, so good and so easy! Thank you!
You’re welcome! So glad it worked out for you. 🙂
I want to make this but was wondering if I could use a penne or spiral pasta.
I haven’t tried this recipe with anything other than spaghetti but I would guess it would work fine. Let me know if you try it!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and I’ve used different types of pasta and protein pasta and I just keep an eye on it and do a taste test to see if the pasta is cooked through. Having this for dinner again tonight!
OMG, found this recipe this morning drinking coffee and checking out Pinterest! Had everything in the freezer or pantry, hubby said sure! It was sooo easy and delicious! Followed recipe, just used 1/2 each red wine and water, playing it safe, didn’t want it too winey…
It was really good, even my Italian hubby loved it! Thanks! And easy clean-up! ❤️❤️
So glad you both enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much, Patti. 🙂
My family and I really enjoyed this recipe. It was super easy to make and very tasty. I will probably add a little extra marinara next time, but that’s just a personal preference. Thanks so much for sharing! This is going into my dinner rotation 🙂
So happy it worked out so well for you, Cleo! Thanks so much for your comment. 🙂
I liked this recipe very very much saves cooking the noodle separately !!!
Thanks, Judy! I love how fast it is too. So easy!