The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
This Ground Beef Pasta recipe is an easy 30 minute meal that you can make with any kind of pasta. Your family will love the creamy, cheesy, Italian sauce!
Be sure to serve this with a side of Garlic Bread with Cheese!
Ground Beef Pasta
You know the Italian-style version of Hamburger Helper? This is about 60 times better than that, and literally takes the same amount of time to make.
Hamburger Helper looks tasty to me, but always comes up short. I promise, this ground beef pasta recipe does not disappoint. Once you try it, you’ll be making it all the time. I think my family eats it about once a week.
Easy ground beef recipes are the best. The ingredients in this one are super simple, so let’s start there:
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cook and crumble the ground beef and onions. Drain grease. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add salt, Worcestershire sauce, and flour. Stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Bring a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Cook for 15 minutes while you start boiling water for the pasta. Boil the pasta for 7 minutes or per package instructions.
Slowly stir in the half and half to the sauce. Reduce heat to low and sprinkle in the cheese. Stir to combine.
Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Serve with garlic bread with cheese.
Pro Tips
- Shred the cheese first and set it aside along with the half and half, they shouldn’t be cold when added to the sauce.
- If possible, shred your cheese from a block, it melts and tastes better than packaged shredded cheese. I like to use Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Yellow.
- Penne, Rigatoni, Ziti, Bowtie, or Cavatappi are good pastas with this meal as well.
- Optional ingredient additions include drained diced tomatoes, frozen peas, carrots, and/or corn.
- Milk can be used instead of half and half, but the sauce won’t be quite as thick and creamy. Reduce the heat to low prior to adding to avoid curdling it, whole milk works best.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 136!
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Try These Next
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- Homemade Hamburger Helper
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- Chicken Scallopini
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- Swedish Meatballs
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- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
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- Chicken Parmesan
-
- Stuffed Bell Peppers
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ground Beef Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 + ½ lbs. ground beef, 85% lean
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 Tablespoons flour, optional-helps thicken the sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 16 oz tomato sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup half and half, (half cream, half milk)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ pound Rotini pasta
Instructions
- Shred the cheese and set it aside along with the half and half. We don’t want those to be cold when we add them to the sauce.
- Cook and crumble the ground beef over medium heat. Add the onions halfway through and cook until softened.
- Drain grease. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add salt, Worcestershire sauce, and flour. Stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes to remove raw flour taste.
- Add chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to clean the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Bring a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes while you start boiling water for the pasta. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for 7 minutes or per package instructions.
- Slowly add in the half and half to the sauce, stirring as you go.
- Reduce heat to low and slowly sprinkle in the cheese. Stir to combine. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Serve with garlic bread with cheese.
Notes
- If possible, shred your cheese from a block, it melts and tastes better than packaged shredded cheese. I like to use Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Yellow.
- Penne, Rigatoni, Ziti, Bowtie, or Cavatappi are good pastas with this meal as well.
- Optional ingredient additions: Drained diced tomatoes, frozen peas, carrots, and/or corn.
- Milk can be used instead of half and half, but the sauce won’t be quite as thick and creamy. Reduce the heat to low prior to adding to avoid curdling it, whole milk works best. Conversely, heavy cream may also be used.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 136!
Storage: Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
This was delicious. I added a chopped green pepper. Everyone loved it. Your recipes are always a hit.
That’s GREAT to hear Tracy, I’m so happy that you enjoyed it and REALLY appreciate the review! Thank you!! -Stephanie
Ok, I just made this recipe and it was AH-MAZING!!! Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe. I had to sub the half and half for evaporated milk and cheddar cheese for monterey jack, but it was still sooooo good. Like someone else said, it’s a much better hamburger helper.
I’m so happy to hear this was a success!😃 Agreed, it’s a better hamburger helper! I love how this is kid friendly too, my 4 year old loves it. Thanks so much for the review!❤️
Do you think it could taste good with monterey jack cheese? It’s all I have at the moment.
Hey Shannon! I do think that would work just fine in a pinch!! 🙂 It will melt well, especially if it’s shredded from a block. Enjoy!!
This was a hit! The comment all night was, “Can I have some more Mommy?” Simple and very easy to make! I just found your page, and will be trying out many more of your recipes!
Hey Kesha! WOOOO!! Soooo happy to hear that, this one is definitely a hit with my family too, 4-year old and all! 😉 Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave this feedback, I really appreciate it! Can’t wait for you to try more of my recipes! -Stephanie
YESSSS! I’m sooo happy that you were able to make those substitutions! Thank you SO much for coming back to leave this review, you are the BEST! 🙂 Thank you Kesha!! -Stephanie
My husband and kids ask me to make this every single week! It’s the one meal every seems to be able to agree on. The flavors are so great, like Hamburger Helper but 1,000 times better! I’ve tried so many of your recipes and they are always so good, thank you Stephanie!
I’m so happy to hear that Tiffany, we make this all the time too! 🙂 I really appreciate the review, thank you! -Stephanie
Yet another of your recipes I cannot live without.
This was simple to make and oh so tasty! I don’t know how you do it but please keep coming up with these awesome recipes ❤️❤️❤️
Hey Kecia! You totally made my day, thank you SO much! I had such a vivid idea for how I wanted this recipe to taste and it came out EXACTLY like I hoped it would so I’m really glad that you appreciate it. Thank you SO much for the review, and I promise to keep it coming! -Stephanie
I really liked this. I didn’t have any half and half, so I used half milk and half heavy cream, I definitely think I could use sour cream too. It seems to be a pretty versatile recipe. The Worcestershire is a great touch AND it also reminds me of hamburger helper, which I loved growing up. Great comfort food!!
Hey Ashley! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this recipe! You’re right, it’s really versatile and easy to customize. Thank you so much for the review!!
My family loved this meal, it was also fabulously easy to make!!
Hi Sarah ! I’m so glad you and the family loved the Ground Beef Pasta😀! It doesn’t get much simpler then this one. It’s a great meal to pull off in the middle of a busy week! Thanks so much for sharing!
Made this tonight with the garlic bread you suggested and it was amazing!!! My husband was so happy and impressed!! Thank you, I scored some points with the husband lol.
So glad you liked it Stephanie, and yes with the garlic bread it’s yummmm! This is one of my favorite weekday meals. Really easy to throw together and my little one loves it! Thanks so much for the review!😀
This was a major hit! Really easy and delicious. I used Penne since I didn’t have Rotini. I never knew about bagged cheese having cellulose, thanks for the tip, I grated my own!
I’m so glad you liked it Yosef! That cheese tip is definitely a good one. You can’t beat the creaminess of freshly grated cheese. Thanks for the review!!!