One Pot Pasta Meals You'll Love ...

Isn’t it great to be able to cook everything in one pot? That’s less to wash so you have more time to spend relaxing with friends and family.

To have success when cooking one pot meals you need to have two things: a great broth and great cookware. These recipes need a pot that heats evenly and has a lid, so cookware that is too thin or poorly constructed might create hot spots that will cause the pasta to stick.

Once I figured out that pasta is more delicious when it is cooked in broth, there are many ways to use this trick. By trading out what you add into your pot, you will have endless possibilities when creating your one pot meals on busy weeknights. Most of these recipes only require a few ingredients and many of them you probably have on hand already.

1. Spinach and Bacon Pasta

Ingredients
1/3 c grated Parmesan
3 c fresh spinach
8 oz pasta
2 c chicken broth
1 small chopped onion
6 oz bacon, cut into pieces
Directions
Cook bacon in large skillet until crispy and brown. Place cooked bacon on paper towels to drain. Drain fat into heat safe bowl. Leave a tablespoon in skillet.

Add onion to skillet and cook until transparent and softened. Add chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits from the skillet.

Add uncooked pasta and cover. Allow skillet to boil. When boiling, stir everything well. Recover and turn heat to low. Simmer ten minutes. To keep pasta from sticking, give everything a quick stir every three minutes. Make sure you replace the lid very quickly. When the ten minutes are up, check pasta for tenderness. The majority of the broth should have been absorbed by the pasta. There will be some thick broth at the bottom of the skillet. This will cook the spinach.

Add spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from heat, add bacon, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Give everything a good stir. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed and serve.

2. Creamy Artichoke Spinach Pasta

Ingredients
¼ c grated Parmesan
15 ounce can artichoke hearts
4 oz baby spinach
8 oz linguine or favorite pasta
Pepper
Salt
1 ½ c milk
1 ½ c chicken broth
2 cloves minced garlic
2 T butter
Directions
Melt butter in deep skillet. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes until fragrant and tender. Add pasta, pepper, salt, milk, and chicken broth. You can break the pasta in half if you need to for it to fit into the skillet. Pasta needs to be completely submerged in the liquid. Cover with lid and allow to boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes.

Give the pasta a stir every few minutes so it doesn’t stick. Check heat levels and adjust as needed to maintain a gentle simmer.

Drain artichoke hearts and chop into smaller pieces. When pasta is done, remove from heat. The sauce will thicken as it stands. Add spinach and toss until wilted. Add artichoke hearts and parmesan. Stir to incorporate all ingredients. Give it a quick taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Sprinkle on more Parmesan and serve.

3. Cheeseburger Pasta

Ingredients
2 sliced green onions
2 Tbsp pickle relish
4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
8 oz uncooked pasta
2 beef broth
8 oz tomato sauce
¼ c yellow mustard
2 Tbsp plain flour
8 oz ground beef
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
Directions
Warm olive oil in deep skillet. Add ground beef and onion to skillet and cook until beef is no longer pink and onion is softened. Drain fat from skillet. Add flour and cook for one minute. This will create a paste on the bottom of the skillet. Don’t let this burn. Add pasta, broth, and tomato sauce to skillet. Stir completely to incorporate all ingredients. Scrape up all the flour from the bottom of the skillet.

Put a lid on the skillet, and let it come to boil. When boiling, turn heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes. Pasta should be tender and sauce slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

Add cheddar and stir until melted. Give it a taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Stir in relish and top with green onions. Serve.

4. Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Ingredients
¼ c grated Parmesan
Pepper
12 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
½ lb fettuccine
1 ½ c whole milk
2 c chicken broth
2 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp butter
Directions
Melt butter in skillet. Add garlic and cook until fragrant about one minute. Add sun-dried tomatoes, pepper, fettuccine, milk, and chicken broth. Break the fettuccine in half before adding it to the skillet. Make sure the pasta is completely submerged.

Cover skillet and bring to boil. Turn heat to low and simmer 12 minutes. Stir pasta every four minutes to make sure pasta isn’t sticking to the bottom of skillet. When the 12 minutes are over, and if there is still a lot of liquid in the skillet, take the lid off and let simmer for about five more minutes until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat. Give a quick taste and adjust seasonings if needed. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

5. Taco Pasta

Ingredients
2 sliced green onions
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded

2. 25 Oz Can Black Olives, Sliced, Drained

½ lb egg noodles
2 c beef broth
4 oz diced green chilies
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 lb ground beef
1 clove minced garlic
1 small chopped onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
Directions
Warm olive oil in large skillet. Add garlic and onion and cook until fragrant and soft. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain fat off beef, if needed.

Add green chilies, tomatoes, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Make sure not to drain the tomatoes or chilies. Stir well. Add beef broth and noodles. Stir again and make sure the pasta is completely submerged. Cover and bring to boil. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for ten minutes. Stir every now and then so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of skillet.

When ten minutes are up, check to see if pasta is done. If there is still a lot of water, continue to cook without the lid on. Give the pasta a taste and adjust any seasonings. Add black olives and cheese and stir until cheese melts. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

6. Mushroom and Sausage Pasta

Ingredients
¼ c Parmesan
8 oz rigatoni
4 c vegetable broth
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
½ lb mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
3 Italian sausage links, sliced into coins
2 Tbsp olive oil
Directions
Warm olive oil in large skillet and add sausage coins. Cook until completely browned on both sides. Add oregano, basil, mushrooms, garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Stir well to combine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Add pasta and broth. Stir again. Cover and bring to boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Give it a stir every five minutes so the pasta doesn’t stick. Check the heat to keep the liquid simmering for the entire time.

When the time is up, pasta should be tender and all the liquid should be gone. If there is a lot of liquid left, uncover and allow to boil until liquid is gone. Remove from heat, sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

7. Chili Cheese Mac

Ingredients
1 c sharp cheddar, shredded
8 oz uncooked macaroni
2 c beef broth
8 oz tomato sauce
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp paprika
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp plain flour
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp olive oil
Directions
Warm one tablespoon olive oil in large skillet. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain if needed. Add garlic and onion. Cook until translucent and softened. Add flour and cook another minute, stirring constantly. It will coat the bottom of the skillet just don’t let it burn.

Add broth, tomato sauce, oregano, paprika, and chili powder. Stir well and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of skillet. Add pasta and stir to incorporate. Cover and bring to boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes until pasta is tender and all liquid is absorbed. To keep pasta from sticking while simmering, stir every few minutes.
When finished, remove from heat and add cheese. Stir to melt. Serve.

8. Italian Pasta

¼ c Parmesan, grated
Pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ Tbsp oregano
½ Tbsp basil
4 cloves sliced garlic
1 medium sliced onion
28 oz diced tomatoes
½ lb frozen spinach
12 oz fettuccine
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups vegetable broth
Directions
Add broth to a Dutch oven. Break fettuccine in half and place it in the broth. Add pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, olive oil, and tomatoes. Be sure the fettuccine is completely submerged. Cover and bring to boil. Turn heat to medium and take lid off. Continue to boil for 15 minutes until pasta is tender. Stir every now and then to keep pasta from sticking.

When pasta is to desired tenderness, add in frozen spinach and stir to warm up. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve.

9. Mushroom and Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients
1/3 c sour cream
½ lb egg noodles
2 c beef broth
2 Tbsp plain flour
Pepper
½ lb button mushrooms
8 oz ground beef
2 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp butter
Directions
Melt butter in large skillet and add garlic. Cook about a minute until garlic is fragrant and soft. Add ground beef and cook until beef is no longer pink. Drain if needed. Add mushrooms and pepper. Cook mushrooms until they are soft. Add flour and cook for two minutes. The flour will stick to the bottom of the skillet. Add broth and scrape up all the browned flour.

Add noodles and cover. Bring to a boil. Once boiling give it a good stir and put the lid back on. Lower the heat and simmer about 10 minutes until pasta is tender. When pasta is cooked to desired tenderness, add in sour cream and stir to incorporate. You can top with some chopped parsley if desired. Serve.

10. Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Ingredients
½ block cream cheese
Pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ Tbsp basil
15 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes
12 oz roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
4 cloves minced garlic
1 small chopped onion
16 oz fettuccine
5 cups vegetable broth
Directions
In a Dutch oven add pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, basil, diced tomatoes, sliced red peppers, garlic, onion, and broth. Stir to combine. Break fettuccine in half and stir to submerge in liquid. Cover and bring to boil. When pot begins to boil, give it a quick stir to make sure the pasta hasn’t stuck to the bottom. Place lid back on and turn heat down until it is simmering.

Allow to simmer for 12 minutes. Give it a quick stir every now and then to keep the pasta from sticking. Replace the lid quickly so you won’t lose any heat. When ten minutes are up, check pasta for tenderness. When it has reached the desired tenderness, take off heat.

Cut the cream cheese into bite size pieces and place them into the pasta, stir until cheese is melted and has made a smooth sauce. If it looks lumpy, keep stirring it will smooth out. Serve.