Classic One Pot Pasta

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Okay, I’m just going to come out and say this: one-pot pasta is the ultimate camping meal. Really, what is better after a long hike than a big bowl of carbs?

This dish is filling, fast, is super easy to clean up, and has an infinite number of variations, so you’ll never grow tired of it.

Pasta with red sauce in a bowl

This recipe is a classic take on pasta – a light tomato sauce with Italian seasoning, garlic, and basil, plus parmesan cheese if you have it on hand.

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My favorite seasoning for this is Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute because it has a huge variety of spices in it and has a great flavor profile, but I imagine any Italian seasoning mix will work well.

Ingredients for one pot pasta lined up on a wooden cutting board

In terms of the pasta itself, I like to use medium sized pasta shapes, as opposed to spaghetti or linguini, because they hold the sauce better, but you can use whatever strikes your fancy.

Ingredients for one pot pasta in a blue camping pot
Pasta with red sauce in a bowl
Pasta with red sauce in a bowl

One Pot Pasta

Author: Fresh Off The Grid
5 from 4 ratings
Pin for later
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2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can broth
  • handful fresh basil, torn, or 1/4 tsp dried
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ pound pasta
  • salt to taste
  • handful of parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in your pot and then add the onions. Saute until translucent, then add the garlic and saute until fragrant. 
  • Dump in the tomatoes and their juices, the broth, basil, Italian seasoning, and the pasta. Give it a big stir to combine everything. The liquid may not completely cover the pasta yet – that is OK, just stir it fairly often so it cooks evenly; if you add too much liquid your sauce will not thicken up enough by the time the pasta is done. 
  • Cover your pot until the liquid comes to a boil (this quickens the process and saves you fuel). Once it’s boiling, remove the cover and cook until the pasta is al dente. The cooking time on the pasta packaging will be a good indicator, but use your judgment as all camp cooking setups are a bit different.
  • Once your pasta is cooked through, serve, topped with cheese and fresh basil if you’ve got it!

Notes

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Coleman Classic Propane Stove
Enamelware pot
Sharp knife
Cutting board
Wooden spoon
Can opener
Measuring spoons
Dishes & utensils for serving
Adapted from Martha Stewart

*Nutrition is an estimate based on information provided by a third-party nutrition calculator

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11 Comments

  1. Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe says:

    I am still searching for a one pot pasta that will work for me and this looks great – am going to try it soon (though no camp oven will be involved and there will be a roof over my head!)

    1. Megan @ Fresh Off the Grid says:

      Haha, no camp oven required 😉 We make this one at home all the time! Hope this one works for you!

  2. I. Love. This! Thanks for sharing this one pot pasta recipe. Looking forward to testing it out, and seeing more or your delicious variations.

  3. Scott Healy says:

    I love one pot pasta dishes. One pot anything, really. One way to kick this up is to use Ro*Tel tomatoes in place of the regular tomatoes. So good!

  4. I have to concur with David Rutter.

  5. Awesome recipe! I’ve also tried it with throwing a bag of jerky in there and it makes a tasty and stew-y bolognese. Definitely an easy way to get some protein in there.

  6. mini horno says:

    Great information. Lucky me I ran across your site by
    accident (stumbleupon). I’ve book-marked it for later!

  7. How many people does is recipe serve?

  8. I need to double the recipe to serve 4, can it be made in a cast iron dutch oven over the campfire?

    1. Fresh Off the Grid says:

      Absolutely!