A white bowl of tomato-based pasta garnished with basil and grated cheese sits on a wooden table, with cherry tomatoes and a sauce bottle in the background.

All Recipes >

One Pot Marinara Pasta

save this recipe
Jump to comments

This is the kind of dish that makes weeknights feel effortless. One pot, less than twenty minutes, and dinner is on the table which is exactly why it has become one of Penelope’s most requested meals. The secret, as always, is starting with a beautiful sauce. My marinara sauce (available at Walmart) is made with the same high-quality ingredients I use in everything I cook, because a great dish can only ever be as good as what goes into it. Toss your pasta directly into the sauce, let it drink up all of that flavor as it cooks, and finish with a generous handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. That’s it. That’s dinner. Buonissimo.

Circular logo with a stylized golden face wearing a crown in the center, surrounded by red text reading "The Royal Court Master Class ESTD 2025" on a yellow background.

One Pot Marinara

Serves 4
Print Pin

Ingredients

Imperial or Metric
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 6 fresh basil leaves, torn by hand
  • 1 (24 ounce jar) The Pasta Queen Marinara Sauce
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • 1 pound ditalini
  • Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to finish

Method

  • Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven and add garlic. Cook over medium heat until small bubbles start to form around the garlic, about 2 minutes. Add the fresh basil, and cook for about 1 minute, or until very fragrant.
  • Add the marinara sauce, then fill the jar halfway with water, shake it to get every last drop out, and add that water to the pot. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
  • Once boiling, remove and discard garlic cloves, then add pasta and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, and adding a splash of simmering water as needed until the pasta is al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  • Serve topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Large saucepan
1 Large saucepan
Ladle
1 Ladle
Wooden spoon
1 Wooden spoon
chefs knife
1 chefs knife