How to make this easy, classic one-pot spaghetti and meatballs. Sauce, pasta and meatballs all cook in one pot for a fuss-free meal for the family!

Why you will love this One-Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs?
- This gets you a full meal in just 30 minutes – less, if you’re doing ready-made pasta sauce.
- Everybody LOVES Spaghetti and Meatballs!
- Since everything is done in one pot, it means LESS DISHES!
How to Make One-Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
1. To make one pot spaghetti and meatballs, first we have to make the sauce. Season and cook down the tomato passata, until stewed to your liking.
2. Once you like the pasta sauce, add boiling hot water to create a liquid sauce so the pasta can cook.
3. Add pasta and submerge in the sauce.
4. Top with the meatballs – make sure to thaw completely to room temperature.
5. Cook the pasta and meatballs for about 10-12 minutes. Pasta should be al dente, and meatballs should be fully cooked.
6. Turn off the heat, tear in basil (or herb of choice) and stir. Done!
What Sauce To Use for One-Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs

I used Tomato Passata, which is simply pureed tomatoes that has gone through a strainer, so it’s a saucy liquid. I can easily purchase this ready-made in my local supermarket! If you do not have this, simply blend or puree canned tomatoes. You can go through the extra step of straining it – but I usually don’t.
With Tomato Passata, you will need to cook it down and let it stew for a while. This is the only way of removing that raw, sour, tomato-y flavour. The longer you can cook it off, the better it tastes – which is why making pasta sauce from scratch, while easy, can be time-consuming! If the sauce has reduced too much before you are satisfied with the flavour, simply add more water and continue to cook it.
Alternatively, you can simply use ready made pasta sauces! With tomato passatas, I find a minimum of 20 minutes of stewing is a must, but with ready made pasta sauces, you simply need to reheat the pasta sauce and you can continue on with the recipe. With ready-made pasta sauces, you can get your one-pot pasta ready in just 15 minutes!
This is a SPICY version!
Instead of tomato puree, I used Sambal here, for a nice, spicy pot of spaghetti and meatballs. For a non-spicy version, just replace it with tomato puree. You probably can’t tell… but whenever a recipe calls tomato puree, I almost always replace it with some sambal. I love my spice too much!
Any of your favourite sambal will work; I always have different jars of it knocking about the back of my fridge. Want to make your own?
I have some recipes here, here and here!
How to Make Sure the Meatballs Are Cooked Through
Depending on the size of your meatballs, you will need to make sure the meatballs are cooked through. My meatballs are pretty small, slightly less than a regular golf ball. I also used beef, which cooks quicker than other proteins such as pork or chicken.
My meatballs could cook through adequately in 10-12 minutes.
How to ensure proper cooking:
- If meatballs are frozen, make sure to take out of the freezer and thaw to room temperature BEFORE adding to the pot.
- Make sure meatballs are submerged in the pasta sauce and cover pot with a lid for even cooking.
If you want to be doubly sure however, you can cook the meatballs separately. Either pan fry it in the same pot (Bonus! You get the meaty juices mixed into your sauce!) or pop it in the air fryer to cook through. Stir this in after the noodles are cooked to al dente.
What Pasta To Use for One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs?

Of course, spaghetti is the go-to here. I like to use wholemeal pasta for a bit more nutrients. Wholemeal pasta is a bit more hardy, so it doesn’t turn soggy and mushy.
Any pasta can work, as long as they take 10-12 minutes (or more!) to cook. This is because that’s how much time you need to properly cook the meatballs.
Why Break the Spaghetti Noodles?
Chances are, you are likely to be using a pot to make this one-pot pasta, unless of course, you own this large 28-inch Cosmo Pan from Cosmic Cookware. Use my promo code “CCNMEATS10” at checkout for a 10% discount.
With a pot, you usually add the spaghetti in whole, and wiggle it as you go along so as bottom softens, the pasta will eventually fit in the pot. With this recipe, you will need to break the spaghetti first so that it fits into the pot immediately. I know, I know, this breaks my heart too. This is important thought! The pasta noodles need to fit in the pot at one go, and not touched since you will need to top it with meatballs at the same time, and they can cook at the same time. You don’t really want to be touching the pasta too much, because the meatballs can break apart easily if it’s not cooked yet.
Tagliatelle which tends to come in a bundle as opposed to strands can work as well to fit in the pot. Alternatively, use other short pasta shapes like penne or conchiglie, which can fit in the pot at one go.
How to level up One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs?
I kept mine dairy-free today, but feel free to add parmesan at the end to bump up the flavours. I’ve also replaced water with milk and added some leftover mozzarella cheese before – that made for a deliciously creamy, stretchy pasta!
More Recipes Like This:
- One Pot Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
- One Pot Creamy Garlic Butter Pasta
- One Pan Lasagna
- One Pot Cheeseburger Pasta
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