Secret Recipe Club: One Pot Spaghetti

Time for another Secret Recipe Club! For those who haven’t seen my previous Secret Recipe Club posts, this club includes a group of bloggers who are assigned a different blog each month and secretly make a recipe to post on their specified reveal day. I look forward to my assignment email every month and discovering new blogs. It is also fun to see what someone chooses from your blog.

This month I was assigned to the leader of Secret Recipe Club herself, Sarah of Fantastical Sharing. Sarah lives in Tennessee with her high school sweetheart and three children. Her youngest is just a few days apart in age from my daughter Claire. She started the blog as a way to share all of the recipes she has hoarded and enjoys with her family. She has quite the collection to choose from and it was so difficult to narrow down to one recipe. I finally decided on One Pot Spaghetti, but have also pinned these for the future: Nutella Cheesecake Shooters, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Overnight Refrigerator Oatmeal, Japanese Steakhouse Hibachi Chicken and Steak with Veggies, Kinda Like Chick-Fil-A Sandwich, Strawberry Nutella Milkshake, Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal, Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce, Domino’s Cinnastix, S’mores Rice Krispie Treats, Soft Lofthouse Style Frosted Cookies, and Belgian Cookie Dough Waffles.

Today’s post is also special for another reason. When I started this blog almost 3 years ago, Evan was 6 months old and just beginning to try food. The first few blog posts of him trying out my recipes have mostly evolved to him actually helping me cook. Now, my baby girl, Claire, is 6 months old. She started out with a couple of slices of watermelon and peaches earlier this week, but this One Pot Spaghetti was her first time enjoying a meal with us. I don’t know if any noodles were actually eaten, but the sauce was definitely enjoyed and ended up everywhere. I had forgotten how messy babies are with food. It is still so fun seeing their reactions for the first time.

This One Pot Spaghetti is a great choice for a weeknight meal. As the name suggests, everything is cooked in only one pot and takes less than 30 minutes. Ground beef is browned with onions and garlic before adding in the chicken broth, spaghetti sauce, water, then the pasta. The pot is then covered and the mixture cooks until the pasta absorbs the water and becomes tender.

I didn’t add any salt since there was plenty in the chicken broth and spaghetti sauce. Season to taste. I used a tomato basil sauce, but use whichever kind you prefer. Water content may vary. You can also add various vegetables such as sliced mushrooms.

One Pot Spaghetti
Adapted from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes, from Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures 
Serves 3-4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
26 ounces spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water
8 ounces dried spaghetti, broken in half
1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus more for garnish
Fresh parsley for garnish

 

In a large pot, drizzle olive oil over medium heat.

Once thoroughly heated, stir in the onions. Once softened, add the ground beef. Cook, stirring to break the beef into small pieces, until browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. If needed, drain any excess liquid.

Stir in the chicken broth, spaghetti sauce, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and add the spaghetti noodles. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally to keep the bottom from sticking, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and noodles are al dente, just tender, 17-20 minutes. If too much liquid has evaporated before the pasta is done, add a little more water.

Stir in the parmesan and remove from heat. Serve immediately with additional parmesan and fresh parsley if desired.