Simple Beef Pasta Skillet

Ground beef pasta in skillet topped with basil.

4.86 from 71 votes

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?

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: Servings

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

12 oz medium pasta shells* or short pasta
1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ onion, diced
2-3 c baby spinach
2 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes juices included, don't drain
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
2 tsp Italian seasoning
3-4 garlic cloves, minced (or about 1 tsp garlic powder)
¼ - ½ tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp cracked pepper
½ tsp salt, more or less to taste
1 cup reserved pasta water you may not need it all
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup heavy cream

Instructions

Cook pasta according to pasta directions for al dente. When draining, reserve about 1 cup of the past water for later. Toss pasta with about 1 tablespoon olive oil if ready much before the meat 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 1/2 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 more starchy pasta water to thin sauce out as desired.
Add in pasta and toss to combine. Simmer another couple of minutes to allow the sauce to thicken a bit more and fully coat the pasta. The sauce will thicken a bit as well as it cools.
Top with fresh parmesan, chopped basil and/or chopped parsley and serve.

Notes

*The original recipe used a full 16 oz. box of pasta but the more I have made this recipe, I found it needed much less. I boil 12 oz. and then add about 3/4 of that and then sometimes add the full amount and other times my 7 year old eats it while I am still cooking, ha!

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 an even saucier pasta: you can add extra cream, up to another 1/2 cup. One other option is to add 1/2 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.

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