30 One-Pot Pasta Recipes So You Can Spend More Time Eating & Less Time Cleaning
Anything is pastable.
Pasta has rescued too many weeknight dinners to count. On days when ingredients, patience, or time are wearing thin, a simple, filling pasta dish does the job better than just about anything. However, pasta can be dish-intensive, and the last thing anyone wants to deal with at the end of a long day is a full sink. Enter these 30 one-pot pasta recipes, here to make your dinner routine that much easier. Don’t worry—one pot can handle a multitude of flavors.
While you’ll find these one-pot meals contain a variety of pastas, two tend to stand out: gnocchi and orzo. Soft and pillowy gnocchi is an always comforting ingredient that shines with a crispy exterior and soft, silky interior, and more often than not ends up starting and finishing all in the same pot. Get the most out of your gnocchi with our one-pan creamy chicken & gnocchi, one-pan cheesy sausage gnocchi, green goddess gnocchi, creamy harissa chicken & gnocchi, and more. Similarly, orzo—basically a marriage of rice and pasta—also cooks up, more often than not, alongside the other ingredients that make it great. Try our one-pan eggplant Parm orzo, creamy butternut squash orzo, one-pan lemon chicken orzo, or one-pot shawarma chicken & orzo skillet to see how this ingredient shines.
We aren’t stopping there though. Classics like chicken Alfredo, goulash, and Amish beef & noodles can all be made in one pot, alongside modern twists like taco spaghetti, Philly cheesesteak pasta, and one-pot French onion pasta.
Whatever the circumstances, these one-pot pastas are sure to brighten the mood, and lighten the load. Looking for more meals made in one dish? Check out our one-pan, sheet-pan, and one-skillet meals for further inspiration.
Amish Beef & Noodles
In this classic beef and noodles dish, chunks of juicy slow-cooked beef mingle with tender egg noodles in a rich broth for the ultimate comfort in a bowl.
Get the Amish Beef & Noodles recipe.
Chicken Alfredo
With a creamy, cheesy sauce and tender chicken breasts, this is the pasta dish I turn to time and time again when I need the ultimate comfort meal. This one-pot dinner comes together in 30 minutes, making it a perfect easy meal to whip up for any occasion
Get the Chicken Alfredo recipe.
One-Pan Creamy Chicken & Gnocchi
In this one-pan dinner, chicken breasts pair with pillowy gnocchi in a creamy sauce, complete with mushrooms and spinach. It's the ultimate weeknight comfort food that tastes like it took hours, when in reality, it comes together in under an hour.
Spaghetti All’Assassina
Spaghetti all’assassina is like the OG one-pot pasta. The spaghetti is cooked in a spicy tomato broth in a style similar to risotto and charred in the pan as the broth gets absorbed.
Get the Spaghetti All’Assassina recipe.
One-Pot Creamy Kimchi Shells
This tangy, rich pasta kind of feels like mac & cheese’s cool older cousin. Maybe that’s because it comes complete with 3 layers of umami flavor: kimchi, Parmesan, and gochujang, a Korean fermented red chili paste.
Get the One-Pot Creamy Kimchi Shells recipe.
Creamy Garlicky Alfredo Ditalini
This one-pot creamy garlicky Alfredo ditalini is cheesy, smoky, crispy, and definitely garlicky. It's the miso that really makes all the savory, umami flavors of this pasta pop, so be sure to include it.
Get the Creamy Garlicky Alfredo Ditalini.
Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
This cheesy pasta skillet combines tender skirt steak, sautéed peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and creamy provolone all in one pan, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
Get the Philly Cheesesteak Pasta recipe.
Creamy Butternut Squash Orzo
If you love stovetop mac & cheese, you’ve got to try this creamy butternut squash orzo. Butternut squash and Parmesan join forces with orzo to create a cheesy pasta skillet that hits every nostalgic note.
Get the Creamy Butternut Squash Orzo recipe.
Creamy Harissa Chicken & Gnocchi
In this new take on one of our most popular dinners—creamy chicken & gnocchi—chicken breast cutlets are seasoned, pan-seared, then smothered in smoky, creamy spinach and mushroom sauce alongside plump gnocchi.
One-Pan Tuna Pasta
This recipe is a bit of a riff on a pasta puttanesca, using familiar ingredients such as capers, anchovies, and olives. But instead of sitting over a pot of simmering tomato sauce, I used sun-dried tomatoes to form a paste-y, pesto-y mixture.
Get the One-Pan Tuna Pasta recipe.
Green Goddess Gnocchi
This green goddess gnocchi is brimming with veggies and packed full of herbs, including fresh basil, tarragon, chives, and dill. Plus, you’ll get pillowy soft gnocchi in every bite.
Get the Green Goddess Gnocchi recipe.
One-Pan Eggplant Parm Orzo
I transformed classic eggplant Parmesan into a one-pan dinner that’s as delicious as it is filling. Orzo is simmered in a thyme and garlic tomato sauce, tossed with sautéed eggplant, topped with fresh mozzarella, and broiled until bubbly.
Get the One-Pan Eggplant Parm Orzo recipe.
Spicy Cottage Cheese Pasta
Cottage cheese continues to have its big moment in the sun. Blending it with marinara until the sauce is creamy and smooth makes for an incredible pasta sauce. It’s a super-easy hack to get an extra boost of protein out of a favorite comfort meal.
Get the Spicy Cottage Cheese Pasta recipe.
One-Pot Shrimp Primavera
This easy one-pot pasta comes together quickly and gets your daily veggies in. We use some of our favorite classic veggies for primavera, but use what you have! The shrimp cooks quickly, so don't add it until you feel your pasta is almost done cooking!
Get the One-Pot Shrimp Primavera recipe.
One-Pan Chicken Bacon Gnocchi
Our one-pan chicken & gnocchi is so beloved, it was an easy choice to upgrade it with another of our favorite ingredients: crispy bacon! The chicken here is cooked in the rendered bacon fat, making it tender and juicy, and the luxuriously rich and creamy sauce comes together almost effortlessly.
Get the One-Pan Chicken Bacon Gnocchi recipe.
Creamy Orzo “Risotto”
Serve as a side or all on its own on a bed of salad greens, this creamy orzo "risotto" is a more herbalicious version of cacio e pepe. The best part of this recipe: It all takes place in just one pot, which means more flavor and fewer dishes to wash.
Get the Creamy Orzo “Risotto” recipe.
Goulash
We love that everything in this goulash cooks together in one pot—even the pasta! Once you cook pasta this way, you might never go back to boiling water again.
Get the Goulash recipe.
One-Pan Cheesy Sausage Gnocchi
This easy dinner harnesses the power of seasoned sausage, jarred marinara, and fresh potato gnocchi to make a super-flavorful dish with minimal prep and active cooking time.
One-Pan Ravioli Shakshuka
Traditional shakshuka has runny eggs that have simmered in the warmly spiced tomato sauce, but in this version we traded out the eggs for ravioli and it's every bit as satisfying. It's the perfect version for dinner and much easier.
Get the One-Pan Ravioli Shakshuka recipe.
One-Pot Broccoli Cheese Pasta
This one-pot creamy pasta is the perfect way to sneak in an extra serving of greens. Simply throw everything together in one-pot, and you've got yourself a delicious, no-fuss meal in a little more then 30 minutes.
Get the One-Pot Broccoli Cheese Pasta recipe.
One-Pan Coconut-Lime Chicken
Chicken Pesto Pasta
Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken
Creamy Coconut-Lime Chickpea Skillet
