This Cheesy One Pot Pasta changes the game for one-pot meals! It’s incredibly easy to make – no draining of the pasta needed – and it’s loaded with cheese, marinara and perfectly cooked penne pasta!
Why You’ll Love This One Pot Pasta Recipe
After a long stressful day, it’s so easy to find yourself going through a drive-thru or picking up something pre-made at the grocery store. No shame – we’ve all been there! But instead, check out one of our favorite one-pot meals and why it’s the perfect solution for a busy weeknight!
- So Easy: You deserve something truly delicious as well as easy to make after such a long day, and that’s where this cheesy one pot pasta recipe comes in. It is all made in one pot, you don’t have to drain the pasta and it’s ready in under 30 minutes!
- Family Favorite: This recipe is a classic go-to dinner in our kitchens. After all, who doesn’t love cheesy, saucy, garlicky pasta? This is a hands down family favorite, and believe us when we tell you that everyone always asks for seconds!
- Easy to Change Up: If you want to add a little something more to it, feel free to toss in some meatballs, ground beef or grilled chicken, but it’s great as is for an easy Meatless Monday dinner as well!
If you love this one pot pasta, you’ll love some of our other one-pot meals too! Check out our tender crockpot pot roast, crockpot pepper steak, or instant pot white chicken chili.
What You’ll Need
With just a few inexpensive ingredients, you’re ready to whip up one of our favorite one-pot meals in no time at all! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Olive Oil
- Veggies: We’ll just be using yellow onion and fresh garlic.
- Marinara Sauce: We love our homemade marinara sauce, but you can use your favorite store-bought version as well.
- Chicken Broth: Feel free to use chicken broth, veggie stock, or water here.
- Pasta: Penne works great in this dish, but any pasta will do!
- Cheese: Grab some fresh mozzarella and parmesan.
How to Make One Pot Pasta
Easy pasta recipes are meant to be … easy! This one comes together in just about 30 minutes. Check out the recipe card for detailed instructions.
- Saute: Heat up some olive oil and saute the onion followed by the garlic. If you’d like to add ground meat, go ahead and do that now. Diced mushrooms or other veggies can also cook up a bit in this step.
- Sauce: Add the marinara sauce and chicken broth to the pan and mix carefully until it’s a cohesive sauce. Bring it to a boil and add in the Italian seasoning.
- Pasta: Stir in the penne noodles and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. You should also notice that the sauce will have reduced by about half and is nice and thick. Make sure to stir occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick!
- Cheese: Add the cheeses to the pot, give it a good stir, and enjoy!
Tips for Best Results
Here are a few helpful tips from our kitchen to make your one pot pasta perfect every time.
- Chicken Broth: Instead of pouring the chicken broth directly into the pot, pour it in the empty marinara jar first! They are the same size – you will need 24 oz of liquid (water or chicken broth) and 24 oz of marina sauce! Adding the chicken broth this way will also grab any of the marinara sauce that was left behind in the jar and add it to the pot. It’s a great way to make sure you’re not missing out on any flavor and one less measuring cup to wash!
- Don’t Overcook: Keep an eye on the cook time of your pasta once you put it into the sauce. You want to cook it just long enough so it’s perfectly al dente.
- Prep: This recipe comes together really quickly, so we find it helpful to have everything prepped and ready to go before we start cooking. That way, we’re not scrambling around trying to find something at the last minute!
What to Serve With One Pot Pasta
One of the best things about this pasta is how versatile it is. Do you love super garlicky foods? Toss some more garlic in the pot! Not a big cheese fan? Cut the cheese in half or take it out altogether. If the kids aren’t eating with us, we even like to toss in some crushed red pepper flakes to turn up the heat a little bit.
As far as side dishes go, the options are pretty limitless! You can compliment this pasta with a side salad, broccoli, peas, garlic bread, or just about anything else that sounds good to you.
A tall glass of wine also goes fantastically with this dish! As long as you serve up this one pot pasta nice and hot, you’re going to have an amazing dinner.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
The one pot pasta recipes holds up really well in the fridge and the freezer. Here’s how to store and reheat those tasty leftovers.
- Refrigerate: Keep your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: We usually heat up individual bowls in the microwave for maximum convenience. You may need to add a little more marinara sauce if the noodles soaked up a lot overnight.
- Freeze: Place leftover pasta in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. We typically will freeze individual portions so reheating is easier.
FAQs
Yes, you most certainly can! If you prefer a creamier pasta sauce, you can add half a cup of heavy cream to the recipe. Adding cream to marinara sauce creates your own homemade version of Vodka Pasta Sauce. Just mix it in after you stir together the marinara and chicken broth.
You can also add a cup of Alfredo sauce instead and create your own version of “pink sauce”. This is a popular flavor combo as well to change up your weekly pasta dinner!
While penne noodles are our favorite with this recipe because they hold their shape well, you can use any kind you’d like! This sauce also pairs well with spaghetti, rigatoni, elbow and farfalle noodles. With a sauce this delicious, it’s hard to go wrong!
Once you make this one pot pasta, you’ll see why we’re so obsessed. It’s truly the definition of a simple, delicious dinner! So next time you have a long day, skip the drive-thru and treat yourself to the easy one-pot meals you deserve!
More Easy Pasta Recipes
One Pot Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (24.5 oz) jar marinara sauce
- 24 oz chicken broth, or water
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 16 oz penne pasta
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In dutch oven or large heavy bottom pot, add olive oil and onion sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, sauté 30 more seconds. Add marinara, chicken broth and Italian seasoning and bring to a boil.
- Pour in pasta, stir well and reduce heat to simmer. Stir often to keep pasta from sticking.
- Continue cooking for 20 minutes or until pasta is cooked and sauce is reduced by half. Add mozzarella and Parmesan cheese stir to combine. Serve immediately!
What to do so cheese won’t stick to pot?
Hi Elena! Some of the cheese/sauce can stick to the pot a little, that’s just normal of any cheesy dish. You could always use a non-stick pot!
This is my husband’s favorite pasta dish and my fave because it’s all ONE pot 🙌🏽
Adding ground turkey changes it for the better! We’ve also played with different sauces (marinara, basil, allá vodka) all AMAZING!!
Only question, any recommendations on how to reheat after freezing?
Hi Dianne! I would thaw it overnight in the fridge and then reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop. It won’t be the same texture as fresh, but it should still be tasty. Hope this helps!
LOVE this recipe and we make it often – definitely prefer to add turkey as it makes this a heartier meal. One SUPER nitpicky thing that bothers me every time I look at this recipe is that it doesn’t say exactly when to add the Italian seasoning. I assume you throw it in with the sauce, but every time I come back here, I always read it 5 times to make sure I didn’t miss it lol.
Thank you Alissa! You are a woman after my own heart – are you looking for a job as an editor? haha 😉 But yes, you add it with the marinara and broth, I have update the recipe. Thank you for catching that and letting us know – glad you enjoy it as much as we do!!
How long be in fridge and be fresh?
Hi Elena, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Can penne be stored in the fridge?
Yes, in an airtight container.
What about the Chicken broth can just use water?
Yes you can use water, but you will likely want to add a little extra salt at the end, to taste.
What about use pasta sauce?
Hi Elena, yes, pasta sauce is a must use ingredient for this recipe.
Can you not add onion and garlic?
Sure you can skip them, but they add a lot of flavor!
I do not have a Dutch oven
Hi Elena! Any large stock pot will also work.