Quick and easy dinners are often appreciated here! One thing that is often a winner is an easy pasta and ground beef recipe. They go so well together, add in some tomatoes and cheese for a great meal.
This is quite easy to make and is very flexible, like most of my recipes. I personally never follow a recipe exactly so I understand if you change it up a bit 🙂
We use heavy cream here but you can use milk or half and half as well. It is pretty flexible with cheese too, we like to use 6 cheese Italian here.
An easy pasta and ground beef recipe
This is easy to assemble and perfect for busy nights. We cook the pasta separate from the sauce. It would take more liquid to cook a pound of pasta and we like it just like this. I cook the pasta in the Instant Pot, but you can also boil it.
If you are using the Instant Pot for the pasta, cook it for 1 minute less then you normally would. For boiling, cook it about 2 minutes less then normal. It will cook that extra couple minutes in the sauce.
The sauce will come together in about 20 minutes so you can judge when to start the pasta. At the end is when you will add the cheese, just before serving.
Frequently asked questions
How long will this last in the fridge?
Leftovers from this creamy pasta and ground beef recipe needs to be refrigerated and will last 3-4 days, I wouldn't keep it longer then that to be safe.
Do I have to use heavy cream?
No you can use half and half or milk. We prefer heavy cream, but it is not required. We do recommend whole milk tho if you are using it instead of cream tho.
Can I substitute ground turkey for ground beef?
Absolutely! You can even use ground sausage or anything you would like with pasta and tomatoes. Ground beef is something we always have in the freezer so it is a quick thing to throw together for us. Turkey is a healthier choice tho.
Do I have to add cheese?
This is your choice and I do recommend it, but you do not have to. We prefer to use the 5 or 6 cheese Italian (different brands have different combinations), but you can use the cheese you like best or even leave it out. I would use a little less liquid tho if skipping the cheese.
What goes well with the creamy pasta and ground beef?
There are many other great sides or you can just serve it without any sides. It's good the way it is.
Creamy Pasta and Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 lb noodles of your choice
- 2 cups broth beef recommended, low sodium or unsalted
- 29 oz diced tomatoes see notes
- 1 cup heavy cream see notes
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt see notes
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1½ cups shredded cheese we recommend 5 cheese Italian
Instructions
- Cook pasta until about 1-2 minutes before al dente.
- While the pasta water is coming to a boil, start to brown the beef in a large pan. I use a 5 quart frying pan.
- Cook the beef and chopped onion for about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the broth and the tomatoes, stirring well.
- Add in the garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes and black pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes.
- Pour in the heavy cream and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add in the pasta, cook for about 3-5 minutes. Cook until the pasta is cooked to perfection.
- Stir in the cheese and cook until it is melted through. Let stand for a couple minutes and enjoy!
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