One Pot Bolognese Pasta Recipe
A chunky, savory beef bolognese sauce and tubular pasta cooks to al dente perfection all in the same pot! You’ll love the ease of this dish– along with the clean up!
Sunday plans: lots of couch, some good tv + a big bowl of this one pot pasta!
I’ve been experimenting with one pot pastas lately — recipes where everything including the noodles cooks in the same pot — and I can’t get over how easy they are! I don’t know why but I had always been intimidated by the one pot pastas… how do you not overcook the noodles? Is there enough “liquid” for them to boil? Does the pasta sauce become “watery”? Fortunately I had been wayyyy overthinking them. They’re insanely easy and equally delicious.
This bolognese sauce is veggie-laden and rich thanks to the lean ground beef and savory beef broth. Both help to thicken and flavor the sauce into tasting like something that has been cooking on the stovetop for hours — but in minutes!
Here’s how you’ll make my One Pot Bolognese Pasta:
- Brown ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken). Drain any excess fat.
- Add in diced carrots, celery, onions and minced garlic and cook for a few minutes to soften.
- Add oregano, red chili flakes, salt and pepper to season.
- Add crushed tomatoes, beef broth and tomato paste then bring to a boil.
- Add uncooked pasta into the boiling pot and turn heat to low.
- Cook pasta for 7-9 minutes or until al dente & chewy.
- Top with cheese and serve!
As you can see, most of the steps are simply adding ingredients into the same pot! You’ll love the ease of this recipe and the hungry mouths you’re feeding will love the taste of it even more!
Can I swap out the ground beef?
Yes, you can absolutely substitute ground chicken or ground turkey for the ground beef if you prefer. I went with an organic lean ground beef (93% lean) and did not drain the extra fat after browning because there was very little.
What about the beef broth?
Same with the beef broth — if you have or prefer chicken broth instead, feel free to use! Just keep in mind the flavors will be lighter but still savory and great.
Can I use other pasta shapes?
Yes! Use anything you have on hand or prefer (gluten free or other pastas like chickpea would still work great!) just make sure the pasta is UNCOOKED! This is super important because if you were to pre-boil the pasta before adding and cooking, it would turn very mushy and unappetizing. You’d also be using two pots to make your meal instead of just one!
Okay friends, let’s get cooking! Hope you love this one.
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One Pot Rigatoni Bolognese Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb. organic lean ground beef I used 93/7%
- 1 shallot minced, or 1/4 of onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup diced carrots about 2 carrots
- 3/4 cup diced celery about 4 stalks
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes San Marzano if possible
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 lb. dried rigatoni pasta uncooked!
- 1 tbsp. olive or avocado oil
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or deep sided pot. When warm, add ground beef.
- Cook beef, breaking up with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes. Drain excess fat (if needed) then add shallot, celery, carrots and garlic.
- Cook over medium heat until veggies have softened, about 4-5 minutes, then add in oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- Stir everything together well before adding crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and beef broth. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add dried pasta and stir. Lower heat to simmer and let pasta cook until tender and al dente, about 7-9 minutes or according to the package's instructions. Stir frequently so nothing gets stuck to the bottom of the pot!
- Once pasta has cooked and sauce has thickened, take pot off heat and add parmesan cheese. Divide into bowls then serve! Will keep in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
