This one-pan pasta is quick and easy to make and is versatile enough that you can serve it as-is, dress it up with extra veggies, or serve it with your favorite protein.
Have you ever made pasta in one pan? Generally, recipes require cooking the pasta in a pot of boiling water, then combining the pasta and sauce at the end. But did you know that you can cook everything together? It’s true! This recipe shows you how to make a perfect pasta meal all in one pot.
Why You’ll Love One-Pan Pasta
Easy One Pot Method – Instead of cooking the pasta and sauce separately, you can make the whole pasta recipe in one pot, making for easy cooking and cleaning.
Simple Ingredients – Pasta, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and cheese plus a few herbs make this a super simple dish that is big on flavor.
Affordable and Filling Meal – Thanks to the simple ingredients that we just mentioned, this is a meal that is especially affordable – we love being able to stretch our dollar when serving a big family.
Great For Customizing – Make this and serve it as-is, add your choice of fresh veggies, stir in your favorite protein, or serve it as a side with chicken, fish, or steak.
Make Ahead Meal – Make this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for a quick and easy lunch or dinner that can be reheated in minutes.
One-Pan Pasta Ingredients Notes
This is such a simple dish so there aren’t many notes required here, but we use the following ingredients to make this one-pan pasta:
- Garlic and onions: The aromatics!
- Basil and oregano: The herbs. Dried is fine here, but you can garnish with fresh basil for the perfect finishing touch.
- Pasta: We use penne in this recipe, but you can use elbows or shells if you prefer.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Stock: The chicken stock is a bit more concentrated than chicken broth, offering a more flavorful profile. The low-sodium version prevents the pasta from becoming overly salty.
- Fire-roasted Tomatoes: You can use plain if you prefer, but fire-roasted adds a lovely bold and smoky flavor.
- Cheese: We use a blend of parmesan, shredded mozzarella, and fresh mozzarella. You can omit topping it with fresh mozzarella if you want to reduce the cheese, or try blending in a different type such as ricotta, jack, pecorino Romano or gruyere.
Refer to the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients with measurements.
How To Make One-Pan Pasta
- Sauté: Add your olive oil and onions to a large skillet with high sides (or a dutch-oven style pot) and sauté until soft and translucent. Add in the garlic, basil, and oregano and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Make the pasta: Add dry pasta, tomatoes, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium high, and cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. If liquid is absorbed before pasta is done, add more as needed.
- Make it cheesy: When pasta is tender, remove from heat and stir in the parmesan and shredded mozzarella, then top with slices of fresh mozzarella.
- Bake & Finish: Pop it in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted, remove from oven, top with chopped fresh basil, and serve.
Variations, Substitutions, and Cooking Tips
Add A Protein – You can make this one-pan pasta a complete meal by stirring in a precooked protein. Leftover rotisserie chicken or turkey? When the pasta is just about done, stir it in and heat it through, then finish the recipe according to the instructions.
Add more veggies! – Want more nutrients in this one? Stir in diced zucchini, asparagus, broccolini, mushrooms, peas, or fresh spinach.
Add more fresh herbs – Fresh dill, thyme, and sage all go great to stir in with the fresh basil.
Swap your broth – Feel free to use veggie broth instead of the chicken broth if you prefer.
Try new cheeses – Swap the mozzarella for any of your favorite cheeses.
Give it some flair – Stir in corn, diced green chiles, and a few dashes of hot sauce to spice this one up! Or try it with roasted red peppers and black olives, sundried tomatoes, or capers!
Storage & Reheating
Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. We don’t recommend freezing pasta because it changes the texture a bit, but if you want to, it will keep in the freezer for about a month.
To reheat, add portions to a stove-top skillet with a slash of broth and about a tablespoon of butter. Heat it on the stove over medium heat, stirring frequently util cooked through.
In the microwave, add to a microwave safe dish with a splash of broth and heat in 60-second increments, stirring between zaps, until cooked through.
One-Pan Pasta
This one-pan pasta is quick and easy to make and is versatile enough that you can serve it as-is, dress it up with extra veggies, or serve it with your favorite protein.
Ingredients
- 1 t extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
- 1 t dried basil
- 1/2 t dried oregano
- 1 pound dry Penne Pasta
- 1 32-ounce box low-sodium chicken stock or broth
- 1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 8 oz package fresh mozzarella, sliced (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (you'll only need the oven if you're topping with fresh mozzarella at the end).
- Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat (note: doesn't need to be oven-proof unless using the optional fresh mozzarella). Add onion and sauté for approximately 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add sliced garlic, basil and oregano, cook one minute more.
- Add dry pasta to skillet, followed by chicken stock and tomatoes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook for approximately 13 minutes or until almost all liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently. When pasta is tender, remove from heat, and season to taste.
- Stir in parmesan and shredded mozzarella.
- Optional step: Top with fresh mozzarella, cover and place in oven for 10 minutes or until mozzarella is melted.
- Finish: Top with chopped fresh basil and serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 325Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 890mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 20g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
Try These Pasta Recipes Next!
- Eggplant Rollatini Recipe
- Old Fashioned Turkey & Noodles
- Avocado Pasta with Jalapenos & Queso Fresco
- Goat Cheese Pasta with Balsamic Chicken & Roasted Grapes
- Smoked Cream Cheese - May 14, 2024
- Caprese Bites Appetizer Recipe - March 10, 2024
- Bruschetta Caprese Recipe - March 6, 2024