The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
Some nights you just need a big bowl of something warm and cheesy.
This beef and onion one-pot spaghetti is that bowl. Golden onions, ground beef, French onion soup, melty gruyere. One pot. Dinner for a hungry crowd on a busy weeknight, and barely any dishes after.
Prep: 10 min | Cook: 40 min | Total: 50 min | Serves: 6
Why This One-Pot Spaghetti Works
Slow onions. Give them the full 10 minutes in butter. Rush them and the pot tastes flat. Let them go golden and the broth soaks up that sweet, deep flavor.
Pasta in the broth. No second pot, no draining. The starch stays put and thickens the liquid into a sauce. But you have to stir. Skip it and the noodles weld themselves to the bottom.
Cream and cheese off the heat. Boil them and the sauce can turn grainy. Pull the pot off the burner first and everything melts smooth.
Ingredients
Beef and onions
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
Broth
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 can (10.5 oz) French onion soup
- 1 packet onion soup mix
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- Black pepper, to taste
Pasta and finish
- 12 oz spaghetti (about 3/4 of a box)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1½ cups shredded gruyere (or parmesan), divided: 1 cup to stir in, the rest for the top
- A pinch of parsley flakes
How to Make It
- Brown the onion. Heat a big, deep skillet or pot over medium-high. Melt the butter and add the onion. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden. If it sticks, splash in a little water.
- Cook the beef. Add the beef and cook until no pink is left. Pour off the extra fat. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add the liquid. Pour in the broth and canned soup. Add the soup mix, parsley, and pepper. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil.
- Cook the pasta. Add the spaghetti and push it under the liquid. Cover and cook about 15 minutes. Stir every few minutes so it doesn’t clump or stick.
- Make the sauce. When the pasta is tender, turn off the heat. Stir in the cream and 1 cup of the cheese until smooth.
- Top and melt. Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese and the parsley flakes. Lid back on for a few minutes, until gooey. Serve hot.
Tips
- Break the spaghetti in half. It fits the pot and cooks evenly. Full-length strands poke out of the liquid and stay hard.
- Use a deep pot. A shallow skillet crowds the noodles.
- Pour off all the beef fat. The butter and cream bring plenty.
- Scrape the bottom around minute 10 of the pasta time.
Variations
- Gruyere or parmesan? Gruyere. It melts into the sauce and tastes like the soup it’s sitting in. Parmesan works, but it’s saltier and a bit sharper.
- Mushrooms. Cook them with the onions. Worth it.
- Ground turkey. Skip it. The beef fat is half the flavor, and turkey goes dry next to all that cheese.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Don’t make this ahead and finish it later. The pasta keeps drinking liquid and goes soft. Cook it the night you eat it.
Leftovers keep in the fridge up to 3 days. The sauce thickens as it sits, so stir in a splash of broth or milk when you reheat.
FAQ
Can you really cook spaghetti in the sauce?
Yes. The liquid is measured for it. Keep the noodles under the broth and stir every few minutes.
Why is my sauce thin?
Give it a few minutes off the heat with the lid on. It tightens up fast once the cheese settles in.
Gruyere or parmesan?
Gruyere. Parmesan if that’s what’s in the fridge. You won’t be mad.
Can I use a different pasta?
Linguine works. Anything much thicker needs more time and more broth, and I wouldn’t guess at it.
Final Thoughts
It’s rich, so serve it with something crunchy. A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette, or warm garlic bread for scraping the bowl.
Cozy Beef & Onion One-Pot Spaghetti
This Cozy Beef & Onion One-Pot Spaghetti is a rich, cheesy dinner made with ground beef, caramelized sweet onion, French onion soup, beef broth, spaghetti, cream, and melted Gruyere. Everything cooks in one pot for an easy comforting weeknight meal with minimal cleanup.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Cook the Beef and Onions
- Heat a large deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Melt the butter, then add the diced sweet onion.
- Cook the onion for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden. If it begins to stick, add a small splash of water.
- Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into crumbles, until no pink remains.
- Drain any excess grease, then stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Cook the Spaghetti
- Pour in the beef broth and French onion soup. Add the onion soup mix, dried parsley, and black pepper. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the spaghetti, pushing the noodles down so they are submerged in the liquid. Breaking the spaghetti in half first will help it fit and cook evenly.
- Cover, reduce the heat as needed, and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent the spaghetti from clumping or sticking to the bottom.
Finish the Pasta
- When the spaghetti is tender, turn off the heat.
- Stir in the heavy whipping cream and 1 cup of the shredded Gruyere until the cheese melts and the sauce becomes smooth and creamy.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and a pinch of parsley flakes over the top.
- Cover the skillet again for a few minutes, or until the cheese on top is melted and gooey.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Break the spaghetti in half before adding it to the pot so it fits more easily and cooks evenly.
The sauce will thicken as it sits. Add a splash of beef broth or milk when reheating if needed.
Gruyere gives the dish a French onion-style flavor, but Parmesan can be used instead.
Serve with a crunchy green salad or garlic bread if desired.
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Exact servings and overall recipe times were not provided, so those fields have been left blank.
