I love cooking, but I hate washing a million dishes. So if I could make a great tasting meal that doesn’t use multiple dishes, I’m all for it. With this recipe I can make spaghetti and meat sauce all in one pot without even having to drain it.
With very little chopping or measuring, you can throw a delicious meal together using only one pot. This spaghetti and meat sauce recipe is great for weeknights.
It’s similar to a ragu bolognese, but I’m not sure if the ingredients and technique are similar enough to call it that. I included celery in this meat sauce because I had it in my fridge for a different meal and I try to add in fiber to my meals as much as I can. You can take it or leave it. If you want to add in chopped carrots or onion, that would go well. It’s just not to my taste.
One of my favorite meals is spaghetti and meatballs. I love Rhee Drumond’s recipe. It’s easy and it makes very delicious spaghetti sauce and meatballs, but it does take me a while to make and leaves me with a lot of dishes. This is somewhat similar, but a lot easier.
This recipe is inspired in part by the Pioneer Woman recipe, a recipe from The Kitchy Kitchen cookbook, and an old recipe for chicken with orzo pasta that my mom saved from a local newspaper column. I took bits and pieces from each recipe and made my own for this recipe on Monday as a special dinner for my
fiancé who was leaving on a business trip the next day. It still feels as special as something more complicated, but it didn’t take long.
As you can see in the photo above, I didn’t completely cook the ground beef through before adding the pasta, celery, and other ingredients. The meat continued to cook with everything else and it was cooked through by the time the spaghetti was finished.
One pot spaghetti with meat sauce
1 pound ground beef
1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic
4 ounces of spaghetti
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 cup of water
Mozzarella cheese
In a Dutch oven, combine beef, tomatoes, milk, and seasonings. Cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Do not drain.
Stir in spaghetti, diced celery, and water. Simmer, covered, 12-15 minutes or until spaghetti is tender. If desired, top with cheese.
Yield: About 4 servings
Other dinner recipes that are great for weeknights:
Oat oven meatballs
Chicken tortilla soup
Beef & veggie stir fry
Modern Notebook 