Simple Ground 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?

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)

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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