The Creamy Beef Pasta tastes like it’s been cooked low and slow, like a good old-fashioned pasta bolognese, but on the contrary it takes just 30 minutes to cook.
There’s nothing fancy at all about this dish, but who cares about fancy when the flavors are plenty enough to give you comfort and full satisfaction. My kids just love this creamy, cheesy pasta dish and so does my husband. He says it reminds him of a similar dish his Dutch mom used to make for him, only she used macaroni instead of rotini.
The Creamy Beef Pasta…a perfect weeknight meal, especially on a rainy grey day like today.
Recipe adapted from The Cozy Cook, with slight changes.
Creamy Beef Pasta
A quick and easy creamy ground beef pasta recipe that you can make with any kind of pasta. A great weeknight meal that your entire family will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 500g Rotini pasta (medium shells or farfalle are also good options)
- 150g (1.5 cups) cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
- 120ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream
- 1kg ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons flour, optional (helps thicken sauce)
- 500ml (2 cups) chicken broth
- 900g (approx 4 cups) tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried ground fennel seeds
- TIP: You can replace the 4 dried ingredients listed above with 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning.
Directions
- Step 1 In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta al dente. Drain well. Meanwhile start with the sauce…see below steps.
- Step 2 Shred the cheddar cheese. Set aside.
- Step 3 Measure out the heavy cream and set out on the counter so it comes to room temperature. Set aside.
- Step 4 In a large skillet cook the ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain the fat.
- Step 5 Add the chopped onions and extra-virgin olive oil. Cook until onions are softened.
- Step 6 Add garlic, salt, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Then add flour (if using) and mix until combined.
- Step 7 Add chicken broth. With a rubber spatula loosen any beef mixture from the bottom of the pan. Add tomato sauce and dried seasonings.
- Step 8 Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Step 9 Slowly add in the heavy cream, stirring as you go.
- Step 10 Reduce heat to low and slowly add in the cheese. Stir to combine. Then add in the drained pasta and stir again to combine. Let simmer for about 2-3 minutes to allow pasta to finish cooking in the sauce. Give a final stir. Serve immediately.