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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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 30 minutesminutes
Total Time: 50 minutesminutes
Servings: 10servings
Calories: 290kcal
Equipment
1 Large Skillet
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
US Customary – Metric
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.
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Nutmeg. Nutmeg is the key to boosting earthiness and adding a touch of nuttiness to your spaghetti sauce. Nutmeg also has a slightly sweet flavor, which we know goes great with acidic canned tomatoes. Overall, it accentuates the other ingredients in the sauce and adds complexity.
Whole-grain pasta is typically high in fiber, manganese, selenium, copper and phosphorus, while refined, enriched pasta tends to be higher in iron and B vitamins. Whole-grain pasta is also lower in calories and higher in fiber and certain micronutrients than refined pasta.
By adding uncooked noodles and a little extra liquid into the sauce, you end up with a simple and delicious meal made in just one pot. It's really important to make sure there's enough extra liquid added to your sauce so the spaghetti cooks properly. Not enough, and you'll have crunchy spaghetti.
To create a tomato sauce substitute from eggplant, first, saute or roast it, and then remove the skin. Add olive oil and your preferred spices and herbs and then blend into a puree, adding water to reach a sauce consistency.
If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.
Whole wheat pasta, or whole grain pasta, is made from the entire grain of the wheat stalk, including the bran, endosperm, and germ. Wheat fiber, vitamins, and minerals are all in the noodles.
There are plenty of ways to make pasta fit into your diet. For example, choose whole-grain or bean varieties more often, bulk it up with veggies and protein, and choose sauces with less sodium. If you're gluten-free, you can cook with gluten-free pasta—which has come a long way.
If you do not have crushed or diced tomatoes, you can use tomato sauce and tomato paste instead. If using tomato paste, you will need to add 1 cup of water and allow the sauce to simmer. Worcestershire sauce – (Optional) Deepens the flavor of the sauce.
Dried herbs: Dried oregano, basil, and parsley are all classic Italian herbs that go well in spaghetti sauce. Add 1/2 teaspoon of each to the sauce. Red pepper flakes: If you like a little heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce. This will give the sauce a bit of a kick.
This is because spaghetti is meant to be twirled around a fork in a way that also gathers up sauce. With shorter, snapped-in-half pieces of spaghetti, this twirling becomes more difficult or impossible: The spaghetti may be too short to twirl, or the sauce might weigh it down, causing it to fall off the fork.
A common rule that Italians uphold when cooking pasta is never to break it so that it would fit the pot. Pasta is produced in a specific size for a reason. When you put the pasta in boiling water, gently push them down, so it does not break. Use the right pasta shape for the right sauce.
Once the pasta is in the sauce, add pasta water. This is the most vital step in the process. Starchy pasta water doesn't just help thin the sauce to the right consistency; it also helps it cling to the pasta better and emulsify with the fat and cheese you're going to be adding.
Texture-wise, fat adds a rich, mouth-coating feel to a sauce, both when it's broken out of the sauce on its own, and when it is emulsified with the sauce's liquid phase, making the whole thing creamier. Add a bit of butter in there as well.
Del Conte explains that "to make a good tomato sauce, you can either cook the tomatoes for a very short time or let them bubble for at least 40 minutes", because they only begin to release their acid juices after about 10 minutes, and these take at least half an hour's simmering to evaporate.
Once the pasta is in the sauce, add pasta water. This is the most vital step in the process. Starchy pasta water doesn't just help thin the sauce to the right consistency; it also helps it cling to the pasta better and emulsify with the fat and cheese you're going to be adding.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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