One-Pot Pasta with Tomatoes and Garlic
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Spaghetti simmers right in a garlicky tomato sauce while the kitchen fills with the smell of browned tomato paste. Measure the water, because the night we eyeballed it, dinner was spaghetti soup.
The short version
Soften onion and garlic, brown tomato paste, add tomatoes and water, bring to a boil and cook the spaghetti right in it, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes. Finish with Parmesan and basil. One pan, about 30 minutes.
What makes ours better
what we fixed so you don’t have to
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Brown the tomato paste. Two minutes of cooking turns raw-tasting paste sweet and deep, and gives a pot of water-and-tomatoes the flavor of a sauce that simmered for an hour.
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Measure the liquid. The whole method depends on the ratio. Too little and the pasta scorches, too much and you get soup. Three cups of water plus the tomatoes is right for 12 ounces of spaghetti in a wide pan.
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Finish with butter and cheese off the heat. Stirring them in once the pan is off the burner makes the starchy liquid glossy and creamy instead of clumpy.
What you need
the usual suspects
- Olive oil3 tablespoons
- Onion1 medium
- Garlic4 cloves
- Tomato paste2 tablespoons
- Diced tomatoes1 can
- Spaghetti or linguine12 ounces
- Finely grated Parmesan¾ cup
- Torn fresh basil leaves¼ cup
yes, all of the butter
Steps
nobody opens the oven door. looking at you, Dad.
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Soften the onion
Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or wide pot (at least 12 inches across) over medium heat. Cook the onion with the salt, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Add garlic and tomato paste
Stir in the garlic, pepper flakes and oregano and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomato paste, spread it over the bottom of the pan, and let it sit for about a minute until it darkens to brick red and sticks a little. Stir and repeat once.
Don't walk away from the garlic. Burnt garlic turns the whole pan bitter.
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Add the liquid
Pour in the wine, if using, and scrape up the browned bits. Add the water and diced tomatoes with their juice, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
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Add the pasta
Add the dry spaghetti. If it doesn't fit, push it down as it softens or snap it in half first. Keep the heat high enough that the liquid bubbles steadily.
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Cook, stirring often
Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring and turning the pasta with tongs every minute or so so it doesn't stick together or to the pan. The liquid will reduce to a thick, glossy sauce and the pasta will be tender with a little bite. If the pan goes dry before the pasta is done, add a splash of hot water.
Start tasting at 7 minutes. Brands and shapes vary by a few minutes.
About 9 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Finish off the heat
Take the pan off the burner. Stir in the butter, Parmesan, basil and black pepper until the sauce clings to the pasta. Taste for salt. Let it sit for 2 minutes to thicken slightly, then serve with more cheese.
Good to know
read this before somebody asks for seconds
- Use long pasta like spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine, or short shapes like penne, which cook in about the same time. Check at 8 minutes and add more water if needed.
- Make it heartier by browning 8 ounces of crumbled Italian sausage first, taking it out, and cooking the onion in the fat. Stir it back in with the basil.
- Fresh tomatoes work too. Use about 1½ cups chopped and add an extra ¼ cup water.
- Storage. Fridge, 3 days. Add a splash of water when reheating, since the pasta keeps absorbing the sauce. It doesn't freeze well.
Questions, answered
the questions my cousins text me
Does one-pot pasta really work?
Yes. Pasta needs hot water and time, not a huge pot. Cooked in just enough liquid, it releases starch that thickens the sauce, so you don't need to drain anything.
Why is my one-pot pasta gummy or sticking to the pan?
Usually it wasn't stirred enough in the first few minutes, or the pan was too small. Use a wide skillet, stir and turn the pasta often, and keep the liquid at a steady bubble.
Why is the pasta still hard but the liquid is gone?
The heat was too high or the pan too wide for the amount of liquid. Add a splash of hot water, lower the heat slightly, and keep cooking and stirring until it's tender.
Can I use gluten-free or whole wheat pasta?
Whole wheat works with about ½ cup more water and 2 to 3 more minutes. Gluten-free pasta breaks down in this method and can turn mushy, so we'd use regular pasta here.
Can I add vegetables?
Yes. Stir in a few handfuls of baby spinach at the end, or add small broccoli florets or halved cherry tomatoes for the last 4 minutes of cooking.
From the table
Made it? Tell me how it went, and who went back for seconds when they thought nobody was looking.
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Published October 29, 2026.