Clean Eating Skillet Spaghetti Recipe (2024)

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This healthy skillet spaghetti is the easiest “pot” of spaghetti you’ll ever make because the pasta cooks in the sauce!

Skillet spaghetti is a simple, easy way to get a spaghetti dinner on the table. There is zero boiling the pasta ahead of time because everything cooks together in one, big skillet.

Clean Eating Skillet Spaghetti Recipe (1)

Can I Cook Spaghetti Noodles In The Sauce?

Yes! But with one adjustment. You have to add enough water to the sauce to actually rehydrate (cook) the spaghetti. The recipe below accommodates that.

Can You Cook Spaghetti In A Skillet?

You can! You’ll want to use a large pan. The bigger the better. I’ve even boiled pasta in water in a skillet before. But we won’t be doing that here.

How Long Do You Cook Skillet Spaghetti For?

Different types of pasta cook for different lengths of time. There are different thicknesses of spaghetti noodles, so it will all depend very heavily on what your particular package of pasta calls for. This recipe uses a standard, whole-grain spaghetti and cooks for 20 to 30 minutes.

Do You Add Pasta To Sauce Or Sauce To Pasta?

If you boil your pasta separately, you’ll want to add the pasta to the sauce. You’ll continue to simmer the sauce with the pasta in it for about 1 to 2 minutes and then serve it.

But with this recipe, you don’t have to worry about it either way because everything cooks together.

How Do You Cook Spaghetti Without It Sticking?

When you initially put your pasta into the liquid (whether it’s sauce or water), you’ll want to stir it well and make sure your noodles are well separated before walking away from the pot. Also, be sure there is enough liquid in the pot or skillet.

How Long Does It Take To Cook Pasta In A Frying Pan?

In general, it can take up to about 30 minutes, depending on the pasta you use.

Can I Make Pasta Without Boiling It?

Yes! Cook it in the sauce the way this recipe calls for.

Clean Eating Skillet Spaghetti Recipe (2)

“One Pot” Skillet Spaghetti

The great part about this recipe is that everything happens in one skillet. So there won’t be any big pasta pot to clean up after dinner.

Recipe Additions

If you want to make this skillet spaghetti a little heartier, try adding one or two of these.

  • Mushrooms
  • Grated carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Splash of red wine (if you like wine in sauce).
  • Splash of balsamic vinegar (gives the sauce a deeper, richer flavor).
  • Chopped green pepper (red peppers work too. Any color is fine)

Recipe Variations

  • Switch out the ground turkey for ground beef, or any ground meat you prefer.
  • Add a couple of teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
  • Try adding some Italian sausage.
  • Use marinara sauce (with no added sugar) instead of tomato sauce.

Garnish Options

These are classic garnishes that will all work quite well with this recipe.

  • chopped, fresh basil
  • chopped, fresh parsley
  • a dash of red pepper flakes
  • grated mozzarella cheese
  • grated parmesan

One Pot Spaghetti Ingredients

1½lbs.ground turkey

1tbsp.olive oil

2tbsp.onion powder

1tbsp.chili powder

1½tsp.dried oregano

2tsp.dried basil

1tbsp.garlic powder

3cupswater(+ 1 if needed)

30oz.canned tomato sauce(no sugar added)

1lb.whole-grain spaghetti

grated parmesan cheese

How To Make Skillet Spaghetti

Brown the turkey in your pan, using the olive oil.

Once the meat has lost all of its pink color, add all the spices to the pan and stir well to combine.

Pour in the water (start with 3 cups, you can always add more as needed) and tomato sauce and stir gently while bringing the sauce to a gentle boil.

Add the pasta, stir and cover the pan with a lid.

Check on the pasta often so as to keep it from burning on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the pasta reaches your desired level of “doneness” (Is that a word?). About 20-30 minutes. Remember to stir!

Allow to cool a bit and top with parmesan when serving.

Clean Eating Skillet Spaghetti Recipe (3)

Can I Use A Different Type of Pasta?

Yes, providing you use enough liquid to cook it.

What Size Skillet Should I Use For Skillet Spaghetti?

Use the biggest skillet you have. A 12 to 15-inch skillet is about right here. I have found that a cast iron skillet works best here. But any skillet will work.

Recipe Supplies For Skillet Spaghetti

More Healthy Pasta Recipes

  • Spaghetti Pie Recipe
  • Weeknight Spaghetti Recipe

Skillet Spaghetti Recipe

Clean Eating Skillet Spaghetti Recipe (8)

Skillet Spaghetti

NOTE: You will need a very large pan for this. Mine was a 10 cup, cast iron pan and it was just barely large enough.

5 from 10 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 290kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Large Skillet

Ingredients

  • lbs. ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. onion powder
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder
  • tsp. dried oregano
  • 2 tsp. dried basil
  • 1 tbsp. garlic powder
  • 3 cups water (+ 1 if needed)
  • 30 oz. canned tomato sauce (no sugar added)
  • 1 lb. whole grain spaghetti
  • grated parmesan cheese

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Brown the turkey in your pan, using the olive oil.

  • Once the meat has lost all of it’s pink color, add all the spices to the pan and stir well to combine.

  • Pour in the water (start with 3 cups, you can always add more as needed) and tomato sauce and stir gently while bringing the sauce to a gentle boil.

  • Add the pasta, stir and cover the pan with a lid.

  • Check on the pasta often so as to keep it from burning on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the pasta reaches your desired level of “doneness” (Is that a word?). About 20-30 minutes. Remember to stir!

  • Allow to cool a bit and top with parmesan when serving.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 515mg | Potassium: 690mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 845IU | Vitamin C: 6.7mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 4.6mg

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Clean Eating Skillet Spaghetti Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What to put in spaghetti to make it taste better? ›

8 Ways to Elevate Canned Spaghetti Sauce
  1. 1 - Extra virgin olive oil. Adding a good amount of a flavorful olive oil will go a long way in infusing flavor into your sauce. ...
  2. 2 - Fresh garlic. ...
  3. 3 - Meat. ...
  4. 4 - Hot pepper flakes. ...
  5. 5 - Red wine. ...
  6. 6 - Fresh or dried herbs. ...
  7. 7 - Cheese. ...
  8. 8 - Cream and/or butter.
Feb 26, 2018

How to make spaghetti at home better? ›

For the best spaghetti, cook it in salted water.

Pasta water should taste salty. I add a lot of salt to our pasta water (it makes the pasta taste delicious). I add about one tablespoon of salt for every four quarts (16 cups) of water, which is perfect for cooking one pound of pasta.

What to put on pasta when you have no sauce? ›

Cheese is an excellent way to add flavor to your pasta without having to rely on sauce. Try mixing your angel hair pasta with goat cheese, and toss in sun-dried tomatoes to make an amazing meal with just a few ingredients. Garlic butter is a terrific way to season all types of noodles.

Can you cook noodles in a skillet? ›

One Pot Skillet Spaghetti recipe is a quick and easy weeknight dinner! Everyone loves spaghetti and this one won't disappoint. This homemade spaghetti is prepared in one skillet for a one pot meal! The spaghetti noodles are cooked right in the homemade pasta sauce with ground beef which gives it an amazing flavor!

What is the secret to good spaghetti? ›

IF YOU COOK spaghetti in a big pot of water, drain it, then toss it with sauce, you are pouring a lot of flavor down the drain, says Vendemmia chef Brian Clevenger. “The trick to good pasta is cooking it in the sauce,” he says. It was while working at Delfina in San Francisco that he really started to understand why.

What brings out spaghetti flavor? ›

Red pepper flakes, dehydrated or fresh garlic, dried oregano, parsley, or basil, or an Italian seasoning blend are all good options. Dried herbs and spices should be added at the beginning of the cook time so that they have time to bloom.

Does cooking spaghetti sauce longer make it taste better? ›

But you should consider simmering for three or more hours, letting it lazily cook away, no more than a few straggling bubbles surfacing at a time. Time plus low heat and fresh ingredients make for a great sauce.

Why do you put baking soda in spaghetti? ›

So here's a really quick way to transform. spaghetti into ramen. You cook it in water that has baking soda in it. What that does is helps the proteins, the gluten, connect in the pasta, which gives it a toothier, more springy texture.

Does homemade spaghetti taste better? ›

Most food critics will tell you that homemade pasta is always better than store bought. However, it's important to remember that making pasta is an exact science, and it may take a few batches before you get your ratios right. Do a few test runs when making homemade pasta to make sure you have the recipe correct.

What can I use instead of spaghetti sauce for spaghetti? ›

Sun-dried tomatoes

“If you're looking for it to substitute as tomato sauce, you'll need to start cooking it down in some water or chicken broth until it's a little bit more rehydrated.” Then, blend it up into a paste, add garlic, olive oil, salt, and sugar.

What can I use instead of sauce? ›

7 Substitutes for Tomato Sauce If You Run Out of the Pantry...
  • Canned Tomatoes.
  • Fresh Tomatoes.
  • Tomato Paste.
  • Tomato Soup.
  • Ketchup.
  • Tomato Purée.
  • Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
Apr 27, 2024

What if I don't have enough sauce for spaghetti? ›

Add pasta water to the sauce

If you realize you haven't made enough sauce, Lidia Bastianich says you can stretch it by adding pasta water to the mix (via Today). She recommends pouring some leftover pasta water into the sauce mixture and cooking it on low until the liquid fully absorbs into the pasta.

Should you put pasta and sauce in a skillet? ›

Step 1: Heat Your Sauce Separately

You don't want your cooked pasta to heat up in a cold pan of sauce, slowly absorbing more water and becoming mushy.

How many times a week should you eat pasta? ›

If you love pasta, there's no reason to cut it out from your diet, the experts say. It can be a great way to pack in vegetables, healthy fats from nuts, olive oil and pasta sauces, Linsenmeyer says. "It's fine to include in a regular diet as often as every day. It really is."

How much water to cook pasta in a skillet? ›

The first step is to make sure you have plenty of water in your pan. Use a large, high sided saucepan and add at least 500ml, or up to 1 litre of water per 100g dried pasta (depending on the capacity of your pan). Make sure there's still enough room at the top because you don't want the water to bubble up and overflow.

How to make spaghetti noodles tastier? ›

Here are five genius techniques for making creamy, delicious pasta—without loading up on heavy ingredients.
  1. Don't cook the pasta in advance. ...
  2. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. ...
  3. Save the pasta cooking water. ...
  4. Add the cheese at the end. ...
  5. Skip the dairy altogether.
Nov 16, 2017

How do you fix tasteless spaghetti? ›

Focus on the primary tastes or dip in to the Herbs/Spices. A really simple way to fix a tasteless spaghetti sauce is give it more depth, this canbe achieved with more tomato puree as well as salt and pepper. On top of that adding Bay Leaves, Italian Herbs, Stock (I tend to use Vegetable Boullion and a Mushroom stock).

Do Italians put sugar in spaghetti sauce? ›

It is widely held that Italian immigrants began adding sugar to their sauce to make up for the overly acidic tomatoes they were forced to work with in their new home. But the history of sugar in pasta sauce actually goes back to Italy itself.

References

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