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!
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 Creamy 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!
Looking for More Pasta Recipes? Try these:
PrintCreamy Beef Pasta Recipe
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Prep Time: 10 minutes - Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 6-8 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Dinner
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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
Keywords:: pasta recipe, cookies and cups, beef recipe, beef pasta, dinner recipe
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I ended up using cornstarch at the end to thicken it. I thought it was fine, but my picky kids didn’t like it.
I accidentally botched and put the tomato sauce in right after draining the beef when I should have put the flour in. How do I fix that?
I made this recipe last night for our weekly dinner with my son and his family. It was very good. I didn’t have beef broth, so I used beef bone broth and fresh herbs. It was so good and I will make it again. The sauce was good even before adding the heavy cream and cheddar cheese. So, I plan to use this sauce again in other dishes. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Absolutely delicious!! My husband and three boys loved this!!
★★★★★
It’s one of our favorites too! And I have all boys as well!
Can I substitute heavy cream with cream cheese? I don’t have heavy cream.
Yes, you can. It will be a little thicker fyi 🙂
Made this tonight, tasted great! Very easy to follow and filling. The wife loved it! 🙂
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for the review!
I can’t find garlic on the ingredients but mentioned in the instructions.
It’s there listed as the 4th ingredient 🙂
What portions are you using for the nutrient facts? id like to separate this into multiple meals and those macros are great for my diet.
Can you use mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar?
Yes 🙂
This was a wonderful recipe. My family loved it. We also sprinkled parmesan cheese over the top. So yummy!!
★★★★★
I bet the Parmesan cheese on top was good!! I’ll try that next time!
Can I substitute cream cheese for heavy cream and how much would you suggest using?
I’d use 4 ounces, or half a block!
Absolutely enjoy this dish. So does my family. Can it be warmed up in the oven? I want make it for a pot luck.
★★★★★
Oh yes if you plan on reheating it, might want to add a little more sauce, because the pasta does absorb the sauce as it sits 🙂 You could even make it and keep it warm in the crock pot!
5 stars!!!! My family loved it!! Hearty, creamy, and just delicious! The only change I made (not by choice. I forgot to get tomato sauce when I was at the grocery store. I was not going back to the store lol) was that I used spaghetti sauce instead of tomato sauce. It was amazing!! This will be in the dinner rotation for sure. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us.
★★★★★
So glad you guys liked it! And yes spaghetti sauce works great too…and is already seasoned!
If I were to add spinach and mushrooms should I cook the mushrooms beforehand and add at the end or can they both go in during the cooking process ?
I would cook them with the onions!
Hello, I have some leftover whipping cream I’m looking to use up, would it be ok in place of the heavy cream? Thanks
It should work, but if the whipped cream is sweetened I would pass. You will need to stir it in a lot, otherwise it might appear curdled.