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This Simple Ground Beef Pasta recipe is a perfect pasta dish the whole family will love! Ready in under 30 minutes, this easy cheesy pasta dinner is packed with spinach, tomatoes and just the right amount of Italian Seasoning. Who wants seconds?
This recipe was first published May 2019 and updated to make the sauce thicker and creamier March 2023.
Ground Beef Pasta--it's what's for dinner!
If a dinner recipe can't be ready in 30 minutes or less, then I want no part in it whatsoever. I always love a good pasta dinner and aside from this recipe, we have this Spicy Sausage Pasta or this One Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta dish on repeat!
Who's got time, or the energy for that--unless of course it's something in the slow cooker. I want my dinners quick and I want them easy. And I don't want the same three or four recipes on repeat. Is that too much to ask?
Why You Will Love This Simple Ground Beef Pasta Dinner:
- It is so simple to prep. There is really not a lot to prepping this beefy pasta skillet. Cook your pasta and while it cooks, brown the meat and then add in veggies. Toss everything together with cheese in the end and dinner is served.
- Leftovers are the best! I love this ground beef pasta recipe even better the second day. When the flavors and spices really have time to soak in and meld together, it's so so amazing.
- Ready in 30 minutes. Who can be bothered with anything more? Not us! We want dinner as quick as possible.
- Uses kitchen and pantry basics. Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary in this recipe. Everything in this dinner is in the kitchen for us at all times. Its a great recipe when I pull out some beef to thaw and need an idea of what to whip up because I know a grocery run won't be necessary.
Ground Beef Pasta Ingredeints:
- ground beef: I use very lean beef typically, sirloin in this recipe. Less grease to deal with and still really flavorful. Any will work.
- onion: sweet yellow onion, red onion or even a shallot is great in this recipe
- diced tomatoes: in the can, juices included
- tomato paste: a touch will help thicken up the sauce
- broth: beef is preferred, low sodium, but chicken can work as well.
- spinach: fresh baby spinach is what we always use but frozen could be added.
- Italian seasoning: I use an Italian seasoning that does NOT include garlic. If your seasoning does have garlic, lessen the amount of garlic powder you add to the recipe and then adjust to taste.
- red pepper: a touch to give a subtle kick to the recipe, but you can lessen it or even omit if it's not your thing.
- pasta: I typically use what are called "salad shells," and they are perfect bite sized shells. If you use a smaller sized pasta, you will not want to use the entire 16 oz.box as it may be too much. You can start by adding ⅔ of the pasta and then adding more as desired.
- pasta water: This ingredient is very important altough I forget it more often than I like to admit. The starchy water is key to helping seal the deal on this ground beef pasta. It helps the sauce stick to the pasta better.
- heavy cream: this was not in the original recipe although I kept adding it every time I made this ground beef pasta dinner so adding it as an ingredient and you can decide if you want a creamier sauce. I suggest heavy cream versus milk or even half and half, but you could possibly use half and half and be ok.
How to make this recipe:
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Don't forget to reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water before draining the shells. If you are a meal prepper, you can easily make the pasta ahead of time to save a few minutes when putting this ground beef and shells recipe together. Bonus!
- Heat olive oil in skillet. When it is glistening, add in onion. Cook until the onions start to become translucent. (steps 1 and 2)
- Scoot the onions to the side and add in ground beef. Break it up into chunks and cook until browned (there will be no red in meat at this point), stirring regularly. Drain the excess oil if desired. The onions should be almost clear at this time. (steps 3 and 4)
- Add in spinach, diced tomatoes, broth, tomato paste and spices. Stir to combine and allow the spinach to wilt. (steps 5 and 6)
- Turn heat to medium low and add in the parmesan and ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Add the heavy cream as well at this time if using. Stir to combine. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes until the sauce slightly thickens and the parmesan is completely melted. (steps 7 and 8)
- Add pasta into the ground beef mixture and toss to combine. Add more reserved pasta water if desired. If your skillet is small, you can opt to add the beef mixture into the pasta pan instead for easier mixing. Top with more cheese and some fresh parsley and serve! (steps 9 and 10)
Expert Tips:
- For best results, cook the pasta al dente. If you cook the pasta too long, this ground beef pasta will turn a bit mushy and the pasta may start to break apart. You simmer it a bit in the end once tossing the pasta in so it may still soften slightly.
- For a saucier pasta: you can add extra cream, up to another ½ cup. You can also lessen the amount of pasta by a fourth. One other option is to add ½ cup of tomato sauce, or more based on desired amount.
- Meal prepping tip: make your pasta ahead of time over the weekend. All you will have to do is stir it in when the rest has cooked up. That is one less thing you will need to worry about when making dinner.
- Reserved pasta water--this is the secret behind so many pasta recipes. That starchy water does its magic on this pasta recipe and is a great ingredient to use when making pasta dishes.
Storage Instructions:
To store this beef pasta, allow to cool and then refrigerate in an air tight container for about 3-4 days.
You can freeze just the beef/sauce mixture for up to 3 months. It is ok to freeze the recipe with the pasta as well, but the pasta texture is definitely not the same after freezing.
Do you have to use ground beef in this recipe?
Technically no. But I guess if you use turkey, you will want to call it a Turkey and Shells Skillet dinner, right? I don't do a lot of beef in our house for two reasons: One, beef is pricier than turkey. And two, I like skipping the draining part when it comes to cooking.
One less thing to do is what am all about in the kitchen. But this simple ground beef recipe is sooo worth it.
You can honestly use ground turkey or even ground chicken to replace the beef in this grouch beef pasta. You could even use a meatless ground meat substitute. There are a lot of options for ways to modify this delish dinner to meet anyone's needs or taste.
Other simple dinners:
- Parmesan Crusted Steak and Potatoes Sheet Pan Dinner
- Instant Pot Carnitas
- Ground Pork Teriyaki
- Baked Cashew Chicken
- Creamy One Pot Pasta
- Simple Chicken and Biscuit Skillet Dinner
- One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
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Simple Beef Pasta Skillet
This Simple Ground Beef Pasta recipe is a perfect pasta dish the whole family will love! Ready in under 30 minutes, this easy cheesy pasta dinner is packed with spinach, tomatoes and just the right amount of Italian Seasoning. Who wants seconds?
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Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 593kcal
Ingredients
- 16 oz box of pasta shells*
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 T olive oil
- ½ onion, diced
- 2-3 c baby spinach
- 2 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes juices included, don't drain
- 3 T tomato paste
- 1 c beef broth
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (or about 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¾ c grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
- ¾ c reserved pasta water
- ½ c heavy cream optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to pasta directions for al dente. When draining, reserve about ¾ cup of the past water for later. Toss pasta with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. When glistening, add onion and cook 1-2 minutes. Add in ground beef and brown, stirring regularly. (about 7-9 minutes) Drain any excess oil.
- When beef is cooked, add in spinach, tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, garlic, seasonings, salt and pepper. Cook until spinach is wilted and ingredients are combined. Turn heat to medium low and add in ½ cup reserved pasta water, heavy cream and parmesan. Stir to combine and simmer for several minutes to allow to thicken and for parmesan to completely melt into the sauce.
- Add in pasta and toss to combine.
- Top with fresh parmesan, chopped basil and/or chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
- For best results, cook the pasta al dente. If you cook the pasta too long, this ground beef pasta will turn a bit mushy and the pasta may start to break apart. You simmer it a bit in the end once tossing the pasta in so it may still soften slightly.
- For a saucier pasta: you can add extra cream, up to another ½ cup. You can also lessen the amount of pasta by a fourth. One other option is to add ½ cup of tomato sauce, or more based on desired amount.
- Meal prepping tip: make your pasta ahead of time over the weekend. All you will have to do is stir it in when the rest has cooked up. That is one less thing you will need to worry about when making dinner.
- Reserved pasta water--this is the secret behind so many pasta recipes. That starchy water does its magic on this pasta recipe and is a great ingredient to use when making pasta dishes.
Nutrition
Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 501mg | Potassium: 638mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1497IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 178mg | Iron: 4mg
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Ms Gardener says
Great flavor and easy to make. I used Beef Broth instead of the pasta water and for the diced tomatoes I used Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano for extra flavor. I like that this dish is not too heavy. Will definitely make again.
Lorie says
Great idea on the modifications--all great options!
Elana says
Followed the recipe exactly and came out very bland, needs a lot more seasoning.
Lorie says
So sorry to hear this! Feel free to add extra if desired!
Aggie says
Very good! I’ve added some bell pepper, broccoli and asparagus and finished it with some Parmesan cheese. Definitely a keeper! Thank you
Lorie says
The more veggies the better, right?!
Jennifer says
I noticed heavy cream is optional. Can you use half and half or milk? Or just add tomato sauce instead?
Lorie says
Hi! You can use heavy cream if you want a thicker, more creamy pasta. You can completely omit it if not interested in using it. The pasta will then have less of a sauciness to it, but I think it’s still amazing that way as well! Hope that helps!
Chloe says
Do you drain the canned tomatoes? About to make this!
Lorie says
Hi! I don’t to add a bit of liquid to it!
Pj says
Hi, Lorie. Advice? Added the 2 cans diced tomatoes, liquid & all as the recipe states not to drain them. Mine cane out very watery. Scrolled down just now and saw your response to someone else about not adding a bit of liquid. Which is correct? TIA!
Lorie says
Hi! I think the response you may be talking about was where I said you can omit the heavy cream. My response to another comment about the tomatoes is kind of oddly worded though. I do not drain the tomatoes at all. If you find it coming out too watery, you can just simmer the sauce a bit longer yo help some of the liquid cook off. Hope that helps!
Katie Heelan says
I got what you mean ,saved to favorites, very nice site.
Dana says
This was truly amazing! Made enough for 2 families. I added mushrooms because we love them! Thos will be on my recipe rotation! Yummy!
Lorie says
So happy to hear this! One of our family favorites as well. And I need to add mushrooms as well next time!
Lisa says
This was so good! I used ground turkey and one can of diced tomatoes, and it was perfect. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Lorie says
Oh yes, turkey subs really well too. So glad you loved it, Lisa!