Creamy Ground Beef Pasta

A delicious, quick and easy, one-pot Italian-style dish that everyone will love. This creamy ground beef pasta recipe is a family favorite comfort food recipe loaded with deliciously seasoned ground beef, a tomato based creamy sauce, pipe rigate pasta, and more, with cream cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese.

A white bowl of pasta with a small blue bowl filled pasta in the background.

If you’re looking for a recipe to feed your family or a crowd, then you’ve found it. I’ve been making this recipe for years because I can have it on the table quickly, and there’s always plenty to feed the family for a couple of days. It’s also perfect for potlucks and parties because it’s so simple to double it up and have enough for a ton of people. It’s so easy and tasty that it has been heavily featured in my recipe rotation for years.

When you have kids, recipes like this are always gold. That’s because when you have kids, you don’t just have YOUR kids. You also have all the neighbors’ kids. I used to make this for dinner, and then my children and their friends would come home from school and devour the rest. I’m a feeder, so I always liked to make recipes that would be enough for the evening’s dinner as well as for the next day, and all the kids in the neighborhood knew it. Well, you know how that goes. I made this a lot…

Creamy Ground Beef Pasta

This delicious recipe is loaded with flavor, not work. It’s made with one pot, and it’s absolutely full of beef, onions, bell peppers, tomato, and cheese. Then it’s all mixed with perfectly cooked al dente pasta and served up piping hot. And speaking of hot, it even has a nice kick of heat with the jalapenos, Slap Ya Mama seasoning, and red pepper. It’s a hearty, beefy, cheesy, and zippy recipe that everyone always loves and gets you in and out of the kitchen quickly.

An overhead, landscape photo of pasta in a white pasta bowl with blue trim.

Why You’ll Love This One Pot Pasta Recipe

  • It’s a hearty beef and pasta recipe that’s creamy, cheesy, and delicious.
  • It’s full of flavor and easy to make, and it makes a quick and easy weeknight dinner the whole family will enjoy.
  • The leftovers are just as good the next day!

Tips and Variations

This delicious recipe is super easy, but I do have a couple of tips to help you make it the best that it can possibly be. I also have some great variations that you can try to mix things up, as well.

Tips

  • Don’t overcook the ground beef. It should be cooked until the beef is fully-cooked and the vegetables are tender, but no longer. You want nice, tender beef, not little browned nuggets.
  • Be sure you cook the pasta to al dente and no further for the best flavor and texture.

Variations

  • You can use Italian sausage, ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork in place of the ground sausage.
  • Mushrooms make a great addition to this recipe.
  • Use your favorite short noodle for this recipe.
  • You can use your favorite shredded cheese for this recipe. They’ll all be delicious.
A bite of pasta on a fork.

What to Serve with Creamy Ground Beef Pasta

This dish is a complete meal in and of itself, so I don’t recommend serving many sides with it. It would just be way too heavy. Some good pairing ideas include:

  • Simple salad
  • Crusty bread
  • Garlic bread
  • Gelato or Italian ice for dessert

Creamy Pasta with Ground Beef FAQ

If you have questions about this recipe, then I have the answers. The following FAQ answers the most commonly asked questions about this creamy ground beef pasta.

What can be used in place of pipe rigate?

You can use any short noodle for this recipe. Macaroni, penne, and similar pastas all work well.

Do you drain ground beef before adding tomato sauce?

Yes. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a super greasy dish that can make your stomach uncomfortable.

How do you keep creamy pasta from drying out?

When you reheat your pasta, add a little water to this dish to reintroduce moisture that has been lost during refrigeration.

A white bowl with blue trim filled with pasta and topped with chopped parsley.

Why do noodles have to be cooked al dente?

They just taste better. More importantly, in this recipe, the noodles will cook even more when added to the hot beef and tomato mixture. Cooking them to al dente keeps them from getting mushy as they absorb heat and liquid from the beef mixture.

Can you freeze cooked pasta?

Yes, but not in recipes. Cook your pasta, toss it with some olive oil, and place it in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag. It’s not advisable to freeze pasta in sauce because it tends to turn to mush when you reheat it.

How long will creamy ground beef pasta last in the refrigerator?

This dish will last for about 3 days in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

How to Store and Reheat Leftover Creamy Beef Pasta Recipe

Store your leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat the pasta, place it in a baking dish with a little water and cover it. Then, bake it at 325 for about 20 minutes until heated through.

An overhead shot of creamy ground beef pasta in a large pot, covered with mozzarella cheese.

Creamy Ground Beef Pasta Ingredients

This recipe uses simple ingredients that you can find easily at your local grocery store. It’s all very basic stuff.

  • Lean ground beef
  • Onion
  • Green bell pepper
  • Jalapeno
  • Garlic
  • Slap Ya mama
  • Garlic powder
  • Black pepper
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Tomato sauce
  • Crushed tomatoes
  • Tomato paste
  • Cream cheese
  • Beef stock
  • Heavy cream
  • Pipe rigate pasta
  • Mozzarella cheese

How to Make Creamy Ground Beef Pasta

Making this dish is so simple. It’s just as easy as shopping for the ingredients and even faster!

Step 1: Cook the Beef and Vegetables

Cook the ground beef, bell peppers, onions, and jalapenos in a large pot over medium heat until the ground beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. Then, add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.

Step 2: Add the Liquid

Sprinkle the beef mixture with seasonings and stir to combine. Then, add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes and stir. Next, add the beef broth and heavy cream. Stir and bring to a boil.

Step 3: Cook the Pasta

Add the pasta to the boiling beef mixture and cook until al dente. Then, add cream cheese and mozzarella. Stir to combine until the cheese is melted. Serve with a side salad and some garlic bread.

A double photo collage of creamy ground beef pasta.

Try This Delicious One Pot Pasta Recipe Today

This creamy ground beef pasta dish is rich, hearty, and so beefy and cheesy. It comes together quickly, and is an easy dinner recipe everyone will love. You can’t beat a combination like this! Give this one a try, and I know you’ll find yourself making it again and again. You’ll have to if you want your family to leave you alone!

A triple photo collage of creamy ground beef pasta on white plates with blue trim with a large red pot in the background.

More Delicious and Easy Ground Beef Recipes You’ll Enjoy

Ground Beef and Rice – A quick and easy, hearty and delicious, one-pot ground beef recipe loaded with flavor from the perfectly seasoned ground beef, black beans, corn, lots of cheese and tender rice. 

Ground Beef Vegetable Soup – This delicious vegetable soup is loaded with lean ground beef, diced red potatoes, mixed vegetables, all in a delicious broth and super easy to make. A hearty and easy to make soup recipe that is so good.

Cheesy Ground Beef Enchiladas – These ground beef enchiladas are so easy to make and are a favorite Mexican dish with my family. They are so flavorful and loaded with two types of cheese, flour tortillas, deliciously seasoned ground beef, and more.

And, here is a delicious Easy One Pot Goulash, from Deliciously Seasoned, that is a hearty and delicious one-pot meal with ground beef, corn, cheese, elbow macaroni and more. Easy, quick and the perfect weeknight dinner recipe.

A white bowl of pasta with a small blue bowl filled pasta in the background.

Creamy Ground Beef Pasta

Great Grub, Delicious Treats

This creamy ground beef pasta is a hearty and delicious, quick and easy, pasta recipe with deliciously seasoned ground beef in a creamy tomato sauce with lots of mozzarella cheese. So yummy!

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8 Servings

Calories 793 kcal

Ingredients  

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Slap Ya mama
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 12 ounce can tomato paste
  • 6 ounce cream cheese, cut into small cubes
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 16 ounce pipe rigate pasta
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions 

  • In a large pot, or large skillet, over medium-high heat, add ground beef, bell pepper, onions and jalapenos to the pan.

  • Cook ground beef until no longer pink and vegetables are tender.

  • Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Drain grease and return to the pan.

  • Sprinkle with seasonings and stir to combine.

  • Pour tomato sauce, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes into the pan. Stir.

  • Next, add beef broth and heavy cream. Stir, bring to a boil and add pasta.

  • Cook until pasta is al dente. Reduce heat, add cream cheese and mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine and serve once the cheese is melted.

Notes

Nutritional values are approximate.

 

Please note that these values can change with different brands and any modifications made to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements.

Nutrition

Calories: 793kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 40gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 1322mgPotassium: 1364mgFiber: 6gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 1927IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 264mgIron: 6mg

Keyword Creamy Ground Beef Pasta, Easy Dinner Recipes, Ground Beef Pasta Recipe

Here are a few pics that are perfect to save to your favorite Pinterest boards on Pinterest. Also, you can follow us on PinterestFacebook, Instagram and YouTube. Remember to “like” or “follow” us on all social media.

A small white plate with a large helping of creamy pasta on it and a red pan in the background.
A close up pic of a serving of pasta in a small blue bowl.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *