Creamy Ground Beef Pasta Recipe

This pasta is basically comfort food with an attitude: browned ground beef tossed into a garlicky, tomato-kissed cream sauce and hugged by whatever pasta you’ve got in the pantry. It’s wildly forgiving, comes together fast on weeknights, and somehow tastes fancy even when it’s mostly pantry staples and a jar of something-something tomato paste. Try it because it warms you up, feeds the crowd, and makes for excellent leftovers (and breakfast, no shame).

My husband is the kind of man who will call from the couch and ask if I made “that one pasta” because he knows it means leftovers he can eat straight from the Tupperware. The kids fight over the crunchy edges in the pan. This started as a “use up the sad half onion and a bag of cheese” experiment and turned into our default Tuesday meal when everyone’s tired and hangry. Once I accidentally used smoked paprika instead of regular and it became the new favorite—lesson: mistakes can be delicious.

Kitchen Talk

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I’ll confess: the first time I made this I thought “cream” meant sour cream and nearly cursed the stove. Turned out, the tang from sour cream plus a splash of milk was a pleasant accident. I’ve also burned the garlic more times than I’m proud of—when that happens, I scrape the pan, add more garlic later, and nobody notices. Once I swapped rotini for bucatini and everyone complained because the sauce clung better to the thicker noodles—so now I obsess over pasta shapes. Also: sauce sticking to the pan? Add a little pasta water and it’ll smooth right out like magic.

Shopping Tips

– Protein: Go for 80/20 ground beef if you want more flavor and a richer sauce; leaner meat makes it less saucy but still good.
– Grains/Pasta: Choose a sturdy pasta (rotini, rigatoni, penne) that traps sauce—fresh pasta cooks faster but won’t hold up as well the next day.
– Dairy: If you like silkier sauce, pick heavy cream or half-and-half; plain yogurt or sour cream works in a pinch for tang.
– Cheese: Parmesan is your best finish—buy a wedge and grate it yourself for real flavor, but pre-grated is fine in a hurry.
– Spices: Keep garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika on hand; a small jar of tomato paste elevates the sauce enormously.

Prep Ahead Ideas

– Brown the ground beef and cool it, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 days so weeknight assembly is just sauce and pasta.
– Chop onions and mince garlic ahead in a sealed container; they’ll keep 24–48 hours in the fridge without getting sad.
– Mix tomato paste with a little broth or water into a paste and refrigerate; it saves the one-step stirring while you’re juggling kids/homework.
– Use stackable, shallow containers for sauce and pasta separately—reheat together for best texture.

✔Time-Saving Tricks

– Use one large, oven-safe skillet: brown meat, make sauce, toss pasta—fewer dishes.
– Cook pasta in salted water while you brown the beef so everything finishes around the same time.
– Frozen peas or spinach stirred in at the end are instant veg—no chopping required.
– Buy pre-grated cheese for speed, but toss a handful of freshly grated Parmesan on top if you want that extra lift.

✔Common Mistakes

– Adding cream too early: it can separate if the pan is too hot—pull the pan off heat for a moment before stirring it in.
– Watery sauce from rinsed pasta: don’t rinse pasta; use reserved pasta water to loosen sauce instead.
– Over-salting: cheese and broth add salt, so taste before you rage-salt the whole pan.
– I once added all the garlic at the beginning and it browned to bitter trash—rescue by adding a little sugar and more tomato paste, or start over with fresh garlic.

What to Serve It With

– A simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette to cut the creaminess.
– Crusty garlic bread or slices of a hoagie loaf toasted with butter and parsley.
– Roasted broccoli or a sheet-pan of roasted carrots and onions for an easy veg side.
– Light, herby cucumber salad to brighten the plate.

✔Tips & Mistakes

– Salt the pasta water like the sea; it’s the easiest flavor trick.
– Don’t overcrowd the pan when browning beef—work in batches if needed so you get good caramelization.
– If the sauce tastes flat, a splash of acid (vinegar or lemon) wakes it up instantly.
– Over-thick? Thin with reserved pasta water. Too thin? Simmer a bit or stir in a spoon of tomato paste.

✔Storage Tips

Store leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce, or microwave in 30-second bursts stirring between. Cold pasta with beef? It’s fine — weirdly satisfying for breakfast if you’re the kind of person who eats dinner food in the morning. Freeze for up to 2 months, but expect texture changes in the pasta; consider freezing just the sauce.

✔Variations and Substitutions

– Swap ground beef for ground turkey, chicken, or spicy Italian sausage; turkey will be leaner so add a touch more oil.
– Make it vegetarian by using lentils or crumbled tempeh—good texture and stores well.
– Heavy cream → half-and-half or full-fat coconut milk for a dairy-free version (flavor will shift).
– Try different cheeses: Pecorino adds tang, mozzarella makes it gooey, and a little cream cheese stirred in makes the sauce ultra-silky.
– If you only have canned tomatoes, use them instead of tomato paste—simmer a bit longer and reduce to thicken.

Frequently Asked Questions

Creamy Ground Beef Pasta Recipe

Comforting, weeknight-friendly pasta with savory ground beef in a silky tomato-cream sauce. Crowd-pleasing, cozy, and fast.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

 

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Main Ingredients

• ▢ 12 oz dry short pasta, like penne or rotini
• ▢ 1 lb ground beef (85–90% lean)
• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup diced yellow onion
• ▢ 1 tbsp minced garlic
• ▢ 1.5 cup marinara sauce
• ▢ 1 cup beef broth
• ▢ 0.75 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 0.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for serving
• ▢ 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning
• ▢ 0.5 tsp paprika
• ▢ 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes optional, for heat
• ▢ 1.25 tsp kosher salt divided, to taste
• ▢ 0.5 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley for garnish
• ▢ 0.5 cup shredded mozzarella optional, melty finish

Instructions

Preparation Steps

• Boil a large pot of salted water. Cook pasta until al dente; reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
• Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high. Brown the ground beef, breaking it up. Drain excess fat.
• Stir in onion and cook until translucent, 3–4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
• Pour in marinara and beef broth. Season with Italian seasoning, paprika, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and a pinch of salt. Simmer 5 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in heavy cream and butter. Simmer gently until slightly thickened, 3–4 minutes.
• Add Parmesan and stir until melted and creamy. Adjust salt. Loosen with a splash of pasta water if needed.
• Toss in drained pasta and cook 1–2 minutes to coat. Off heat, fold in parsley and mozzarella if using. Serve warm.

Notes

Variation ideas: Swap ground turkey for beef, add sliced mushrooms or baby spinach, or bake the finished pasta with mozzarella until bubbly. For a lighter sauce, use half-and-half and a touch more pasta water.

Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days. Reheat gently with a splash of broth or water to loosen the sauce.

This recipe is an original creation inspired by classic Creamy Ground Beef Pasta Recipe flavors. All ingredient ratios and instructions are independently developed.