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This ground beef pasta recipe tastes like it’s been cooked low and slow, but it’s ready in about 30 minutes! It’s perfect for busy weeknights and has simple ingredients.
You’ll also enjoy this Easy Meat Sauce for pasta, Rotini Pasta, or my Beef and Noodles.
Why you’ll love it
If you like my Creamy Beef and Shells or Homemade Hamburger Helper, there’s a good chance you will enjoy this easy ground beef pasta. It’s sorta like a quick Bolognese sauce. Ground beef, garlic, and a creamy tomato sauce make one comforting dinner!
When I was a kid, pasta with meat sauce was always one of my favorite comfort foods, and as an adult I’ve always kept some variation of this sauce in my freezer. It’s the perfect quick family meal! There’s more depth of flavor than you’d think for such a simple dish.
What you’ll need
- Pasta – I chose fusilli, but this recipe will work with whatever pasta shape you’ve got on hand. Penne would be great.
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Onion and garlic – I use sweet (Vidalia) onion
- Ground beef – I like to use lean ground beef. It saves you from having to drain out the fat.
- Canned tomatoes – diced tomatoes form the base of the sauce. They’re canned at peak ripeness.
- Tomato paste – for more delicious concentrated tomato flavor
- Dijon mustard – it’s a flavor enhancer and not overpowering
- Italian seasoning – a convenient blend of dried herbs in a single jar
- Heavy cream – it gives the sauce body and incredible taste. I found this to have plenty of sauce, but if you want to add more, go up to a full cup of cream.
Pro tip
This sauce needs to be salted adequately to bring out all the flavors! There’s plenty of meat and cream, so a generous amount of salt is a must. You can also definitely adjust the seasonings to your personal taste preferences or jazz it up with red pepper flakes if that’s your thing. This sauce is very flexible.
How to make pasta with ground beef
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Boil the pasta. In a skillet, sauté the onion in the olive oil until softened. Stir in the ground beef and garlic, and cook until browned. Spoon out any excess fat if needed. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, Dijon, and Italian seasoning.
Simmer until the sauce has reduced somewhat. Stir in the heavy cream, and let it warm through for a few minutes. Generously season the sauce with salt & pepper, then toss with the drained pasta. Top with fresh parmesan if desired.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This is the skillet I use to make the meat sauce.
- A garlic press makes it effortless to mince garlic.
- I use this cooking spoon since it doesn’t scratch cookware.
Substitutions and variations
- Fresh basil would be a great addition to this pasta sauce (add it in right at the end) if you happen to have some.
- Try stirring in 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese if you want this dish to be cheesy.
- As with any cream-based recipe (especially with an acidic tomato sauce), subbing the cream with something else can lead to curdling.
- I know some people don’t like chunks/pieces of tomatoes, so feel free to swap the diced tomatoes with tomato sauce if you wish. Or use petite diced tomatoes.
What to serve with creamy beef pasta
- A slice of fresh crusty bread with olive oil and balsamic for dipping rounds it out.
- Make a salad for a fresh pairing. I love making a big Caesar salad with my 10-Minute Homemade Caesar Dressing (no blender!) and Garlic Croutons. For something lighter, try my Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover ground beef pasta in the fridge for 3-4 days in a covered container. Reheat over a low heat until warmed through.
- If you plan on freezing this recipe, I definitely recommend freezing the sauce separately in individual portions and boiling up a fresh batch of pasta when you’re ready to eat. The sauce freezes well.
More tasty ground beef recipes
Will you give this creamy ground beef pasta a try? Please leave a star rating and review in the comments below if you made it! Ask me any questions. I’m also on Instagram.
Easy Creamy Ground Beef Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard see note
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to taste
Instructions
- Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions.
- Add the onion and olive oil to a large skillet (or small pot/Dutch oven) and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Add in the ground beef and garlic and continue cooking for another 8 minutes or so until the beef has browned (break the meat up with your spoon as you go along). Spoon out excess fat if there's a lot of it.
- Stir in the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, Dijon mustard, and Italian seasoning. Simmer for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced somewhat.
- Stir in the cream and cook for another 3-5 minutes (it'll warm through and reduce a bit).
- Season generously with salt & pepper as needed and toss with the drained pasta. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- The Dijon mustard isn’t totally necessary (you don’t have to buy a jar just for this recipe), but it’s great for building flavor in sauces like this one, so I always keep some in my fridge. You can always taste and add more if needed.
- Feel free to up the Italian seasoning if you want a stronger herby flavor. I personally prefer just a hint in this recipe.
- You can use a can of tomato sauce instead of the diced tomatoes if you don’t like pieces of tomatoes (or try petite diced tomatoes).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on October 24, 2020. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Used as a base recipe and made adjustments for what I had on hand and our family’s tastes. Table cream, extra garlic and a combination of oregano/basil and parsley. Added about 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese into the sauce and then sprinkled more on top for serving. Turned out great. I think I’d loosen up the sauce a bit with some pasta water next time but that’s just preference on consistency.
can I use half and half instead of heavy cream?
Hi Rachel! See “substitutions and variations” in the blog post.