Description
Craving Quick & Creamy Ground Beef Pasta? Get this easy 30-minute recipe for a comforting, satisfying weeknight meal. Perfect for busy evenings!
Ingredients
Scale
- Main Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20 preferred)
- 12 oz short pasta (like penne or rotini)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Creamy Goodness:
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Flavor Boosters & Finishing Touches:
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Olive oil (optional, for sautéing if needed)
- Optional Extras:
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Handful of frozen peas or spinach
Instructions
- Brown the Beef:: First things first, get your biggest skillet heating over medium-high heat. Toss in that ground beef and break it up with a spoon. You want it nice and browned, with no pink bits left. This is where all that flavor starts to build, giving our Quick & Creamy Ground Beef Pasta its hearty base. I always drain off most of the fat here, but leave a little for flavor. Smells so good already, right?
- Sauté Aromatics:: Once the beef is browned and drained, add your chopped onion to the pan. Let it soften for about 3-4 minutes until it’s translucent and fragrant. Then, stir in the minced garlic. Oh, the smell! This is my favorite part, honestly. Cook it for just a minute until it’s super aromatic; don’t let it burn, that’s a mistake I made once, and it tasted bitter. Keep stirring so it doesn’t stick.
- Build the Sauce Base:: Now for the tomato paste. Push the beef and onions to one side of the pan and spoon the tomato paste into the cleared space. Let it cook for about a minute, stirring it around until it darkens a bit. This step caramelizes it and really deepens the flavor of the Quick & Creamy Ground Beef Pasta. Then, stir it all together with the beef and onions. It’s starting to look like something delicious!
- Simmer & Season:: Pour in the beef broth and stir in the Italian seasoning. Bring it to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan – those are flavor bombs! Let it bubble gently for about 5-7 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly and the flavors to meld. This is where the magic really starts to happen, and your kitchen will smell incredible, I promise.
- Add the Cream & Pasta:: Reduce the heat to low, then pour in the heavy cream. Stir it until it’s fully combined and the sauce is a beautiful, light red. Don’t let it boil once the cream is in, or it might curdle – learned that the hard way! Now, add your cooked pasta directly to the pan. Toss everything together until every noodle is coated in that luscious Quick & Creamy Ground Beef Pasta sauce.
- Finishing Touches:: Stir in a generous handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese until it melts into the sauce, making it even creamier. Taste and adjust seasonings – maybe a little more salt or a crack of black pepper? Garnish with fresh parsley before serving. The aroma of the finished Quick & Creamy Ground Beef Pasta is just heavenly, a true comfort dish ready in no time!