Creamy Beef Pasta Recipe is an easy pasta dish made in 30 minutes and loaded with flavor! Your whole family will love this quick, cheesy, everyday dinner idea!
And make sure to try out my sausage spin on this recipe… Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta!
This Creamy Beef Pasta Recipe is one of those classic pasta dinners that is comforting and nostalgic.
Today’s recipe is a grown up version of Hamburger Helper, but SO much better! We eat a decent amount of pasta in our house….my husband is Italian, and his mom served pasta in some form almost every night of the week, so while we don’t eat it THAT often, I do incorporate pasta into a lot of our meals. With 4 boys sometimes it’s about quantity and pasta is great for filling bellies. My One Pot Shrimp Pasta and my Mushroom and Garlic Butter Pasta are also on regular rotation because they’re family favorites!
This pasta dish is a creamy, cheesy tomato sauce, with ground beef and rotini! You can add a little more crushed red pepper to make it a little spicier, or leave it out all together. You can even substitute a jar of pre-made pasta sauce instead of the plain tomato sauce and the seasonings if you have a jarred sauce you really love!
Tips For Making Creamy Beef Pasta
- You can use any short pasta in this beef pasta recipe. I prefer rotini because it holds a lot of the sauce. Cavatappi is another great option!
- Make sure you’re using a deep skillet for this because it makes a large batch!
- This recipe calls for cheddar cheese at the end to mix into the pasta. You could use a cheese blend if you prefer, but I wouldn’t recommend using mozzarella because the cheese could get a little stringy mixed in and a cheddar or cheddar blend melts in better. BUT you could use cream cheese if you are wanting an extra creamy pasta!
- You could easily sub in ground turkey or chicken for the lean ground beef.
- You could even sauté some diced bell pepper or carrots with the onion to add a little more flavor.
- You can replace the seasonings in this recipe for Italian seasoning to save time.
- You could even add mushrooms to this pasta recipe instead of meat to create a vegetarian version of this dish!
- This recipe can easily be cut in half to make a smaller portion!
Can You Freeze This Beef Pasta?
Sure, BUT I have a few tips for you so your pasta doesn’t get mushy!
- Just freeze the sauce and add the rotini the day you’re planning on serving this Creamy Beef Pasta.
- If you make the whole recipe and have leftover to freeze, allow it to come up to room temperature before heating back up. You don’t want to over stir the pasta or try and break it up in a saucepan if it’s frozen, as the pasta will all break into bits.
- If you’re meal prepping and planning ahead and you plan on freezing this dish, or giving it to a family to reheat I recommend undercooking the pasta a bit so it’s just al dente. This way as you warm it up on the stove top the pasta won’t get too mushy!
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Creamy Beef Pasta Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 6-8 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Dinner
Description
An easy, creamy beef pasta recipe that is loaded with flavor and cheese!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about a cup)
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 (28- ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 pound Rotini pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- optional – garnish with parsley (fresh or dried)
Instructions
- In a large, deep skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add in the diced onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add in the ground beef to the skillet and break the meat apart. Cook until no pink remains. Drain excess grease and return the to heat.
- With the heat still on medium, add in the garlic, basil, oregano, salt, red pepper, and flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to coat.
- Add in the tomato sauce and broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
- While sauce is simmering, boil Rotini according to pasta directions. Drain.
- Add the cream and pasta to the sauce, stirring to combine. Add in the cheese and stir until melted.
- Garnish with parsley if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 3 days
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 747
- Sugar: 10.2 g
- Sodium: 1050.6 mg
- Fat: 27.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 75.2 g
- Protein: 48.9 g
- Cholesterol: 141.9 mg
Keywords: pasta recipe, cookies and cups, beef recipe, beef pasta, dinner recipe
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Hi there, I’m just wondering how I substitute heavy cream. They don’t sell it where I live..
Thank you!
You can use half and half, evaporated milk or even just whole milk if that’s all you have.
This was DELICIOUS and so easy to make!!!!
★★★★★
This was very good. It makes a lot so I have leftovers for lunches.
★★★★★
Mouth watering – very rich sauce – I added a red pepper & celery. I love it!
★★★★★
I made this last night. It was really, really nice and all 3 of us loved it. It’s a heart attack in a bowl, but if I were to die eating it, I’d be happy!!
I slightly changed it. The tomato sauce(Passata) increased to 1ltr, Beef Broth increased to 400ml, cream increased to 300ml and added 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning and 1.5 teaspoons of Black Pepper. Going to make it again next week, but without the cheese and cream as 2 of us are supposed to be losing weight, and I still think it will be very nice without cheese and cream. Highly Recommended.
★★★★★
I made this vegan style with beyond meat, dairy free cheese and “not milk”. I did half milk and half tofutti sour cream! I added green pepper too! Wow it was amazing
★★★★★
Thank you so much for sharing your experience making this vegan!
How would you adapt this for a 13 x 9 pan for a pot luck???
Made this dish on a whim TOTALLY worth it! I made my own personal modifications (sans the seasonings just used garlic pepper and onion and a medium cheddar) this dish is incredible! Taste very similar to lasagna. Definently going on my rotation.
★★★★★
So glad you liked it!!
I just made this moments ago with close to 3 lbs. of ground beef. I used chickpea pasta, and it turned out amazingly well. It’s quite good. I’m very happy.
★★★★★
Can i use kraft spread cheese?