One-Pot Pizza Pasta (Printable Version)

Fast, flavorful pasta blending marinara, cheese, and toppings in one pot, perfect for busy nights.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz short pasta (penne, fusilli, or rotini)

→ Sauce

02 - 24 oz jar marinara sauce
03 - 1/2 cup water

→ Cheese

04 - 2 cups pre-shredded mozzarella cheese
05 - 1/2 cup pre-shredded Parmesan cheese

→ Toppings

06 - 1/2 cup sliced black olives
07 - 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni (optional)
08 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
09 - 1/2 bell pepper, diced
10 - 1 tsp dried oregano
11 - 1/2 tsp dried basil
12 - Salt and pepper to taste

# How To Make It:

01 - In a large deep skillet or pot, add pasta, marinara sauce, and water. Stir to combine.
02 - Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
03 - Stir in black olives, pepperoni if using, red onion, and bell pepper. Cook uncovered for 2 minutes until vegetables soften and pasta is al dente.
04 - Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the top. Cover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until cheese melts and bubbles.
05 - Season with dried oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's genuinely fast—no boiling pasta in one pot, then sauce in another, then combining everything later.
  • The flavors taste deliberate, like you planned this, even though it came together in a moment of necessity.
  • One pot means one thing to wash, which might be the best part of all.
02 -
  • Don't skip stirring occasionally during the simmer—the bottom can scorch if you leave it untouched, and burnt pasta sauce is hard to recover from.
  • The pasta will seem too soft at first, but it continues cooking in residual heat even after you pull it off the stove, so pull it back just before al dente.
03 -
  • Buy good quality olives if you can—they make a real difference in a dish this simple where every ingredient shows up in your mouth.
  • Taste the sauce before adding your seasonings; some marinara brands are already pretty herby, so you might need less oregano and basil than the recipe suggests.
Return