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Weeknight Pasta with Ground Beef Recipe

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Satisfy your comfort food cravings with this easy weeknight ground beef pasta! Made with simple ingredients, tender pasta, and a rich, savory beef sauce, it’s the perfect family-friendly meal that’s ready in about 40 minutes.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 16 ounces pasta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 16 ounces ground beef
  • 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
  • pinch of baking soda
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 ounces shredded Parmesan
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper
  • Parmesan cheese
  • fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.
  3. Add onion and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for 6-8 minutes, until they start to brown and caramelize just a bit.
  4. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute. 
  5. Push the veggies to the outside of the large saute pan, forming a ring and leaving a well in the center. 
  6. Add ground beef to the center, and cook, crumbling with a spatula until browned and cooked through. Use the juices from the meat to deglaze the pan and scrape all those yummy bits off the bottom. 
  7. Stir in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and a pinch of baking soda along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, covered, for 10 minutes.
  8. Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and a few large pinches of salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
  9.  Add cooked rigatoni and toss to coat the pasta evenly in the sauce.
  10. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese and enjoy!
  11. If you loved this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating and review below!

Equipment

Notes

    • This ground beef pasta recipe makes a huge batch! If you’d prefer, you can easily halve the recipe if you’re feeding a smaller family. However, the leftovers are delicious so you might just want to make a full batch and enjoy it all week!

    • Cook the pasta just until al dente. That way, it won’t become mushy once combined with the sauce.

    • Add fresh herbs to the sauce if you like! Fresh chopped parsley or basil mixed right in with the sauce will add a delicious brightness and compliment the dried herbs well.