This ground beef pasta is a quick 15 minutes meal made very few ingredients. Ground beef, tomato paste, cheese, and fresh basil tossed with penne pasta. Not loaded with cheese or cream this is perfect any time of the week.
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I love cooking pasta because it is so versatile. While you can make an elaborate lasagna or meat sauce that takes forever there are these 15 minute quick meals that are an absolute treat any time of the week. This is the third pasta I am sharing with you this month and it's again my quick 15 minutes meal.
About this recipe
The recipe is fairly simple and easy. If you cook Italian food often then these are everyday ingredients you probably already have like oil, onions, garlic, and a few kinds of cheese. Basil and parsley make this pasta nice and refreshing,
The best part is that it takes less than 15 minutes to cook the whole dish. The pasta gets cooked in 11 to 12 minutes while you can cook the sauce simultaneously in just 10 to 12 minutes as well.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Ground beef - I like to use lean beef cut like brisket for my pasta recipes unlike the high-fat beef used for burgers or kebabs.
- Pasta - ideally, pasta such as penne, fusilli, or even spaghetti works great for such meat sauces.
- Cheese - not much and yet it adds a lot of richness and creaminess to the dish without being overwhelmingly cheesy or saucy.
- Olive oil - To me, it has to be a good quality olive oil when making pasta. I use extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil. That's simply a personal preference.
- Basil - adds to the freshness of the dish.
Step by step instructions
- Boil pasta in salted boiling water until al dente
- Drain and reserve some cooking liquid for the sauce
- Simultaneously, in a cast-iron or heavy-bottom skillet brown the ground beef in oil
- Add the onions, garlic, and celery - saute for 2 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Next, add bay leaves, tomato paste, stock and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the basil leave and combine everything well.
- Cook for 8 minutes on a low simmer.
- Then add the parsley, parmesan, and gruyere cheese - combine well.
- Finally, add the boiled pasta and a little of the reserved cooking liquid from the pasta.
- Toss everything well, using only enough liquid to keep it from drying out.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve garnished with basil leaves and cheese
10 Tips for cooking pasta perfectly
- Use a large pot of water when boiling pasta to prevent a mess on the stovetop.
- Use 4 times the amount of water for your pasta - For example, to boil one cup pasta use at least 4 cups water.
- Always bring the water to the boil before adding pasta or the pasta will be sticky.
- Salt the water generously more than you think you need as this is the only time you will be able to season the pasta on its own.
- Never add oil to the pasta when cooking. This will create a non-stick surface on the pasta that prevents the sauce from sticking.
- Pick the right pasta for the right sauce. For example, long pasta such as spaghetti for oil and tomato-based sauces, or penna and large shapes for cream and meat-based sauces.
- The pasta cooking time on the package is a suggestion - always taste pasta to know if it's done. Most dry pasta takes about 10 to 12 minutes while fresh pasta often takes less than 2 minutes.
- Pasta must be cooked "al dente", which means it must be tender yet have a bite.
- If you plan to cook pasta long before serving, it's a good idea to keep it a minute underdone as it will continue to cook with the residue heat in the sauce.
- Never drain the pasta into a colander and never rinse the pasta. Instead, remove the pasta from the pot (preferably directly into the sauce).
Frequently asked questions
This pasta will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. When you need to reheat it - add a few tablespoons of water to help the starch in the sauce blend again.
Boil water with salt in a large pot at least 4 times the quantity of pasta. So, 1 cup pasta would need at least 4 cups of water.
Once the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and give it a good stir.
Let the pasta cook for about 8 to 12 minutes.
The best way to check pasta is to taste it. It has to be Al Dente - meaning soft but still have a bite.
Drain the pasta and set aside until ready to use it into the sauce.
You can certainly omit the green peas and use spinach or similar greens. These take the same time of about 3 minutes to cook.
Yes, of course. In fact, I have shared a similar recipe for Chicken Pasta as well as a Pappaderlla Lamb Pasta. Both are absolutely delicious and get ready in less than 15 minutes.
You can add cream to make it a rich and creamier sauce, but as you can see in the video below, it is really not necessary. The cheese used in the sauce coats the pasta beautifully making it rich and creamy.
If you want a meatless pasta recipe, perhaps try my Cheery tomato paste or baked pasta lasagna recipe.
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Ground Beef Pasta
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Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
- ½ lb (250 g) Pasta (Penne or similar)
- ½ lb (250 g) Ground beef
- 2 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) Olive oil
- ½ cup (½ cup) Onion (chopped)
- ¼ cup (¼ cup) Celery (chopped)
- 1 (1) Garlic (minced)
- 2 (2) Bay leaves
- 2 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) Tomato paste
- 1 cup (1 cup) Stock (chicken or beef)
- 6 (6) Basil leaves
- ¼ cup (¼ cup) Parsley
- ¼ cup (¼ cup) Parmesan
- ¼ cup (¼ cup) Gruyere cheese
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) Salt
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) Pepper
Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted boiling water until al dente
- Drain and reserve some cooking liquid for the sauce
- Simultaneously, in a cast-iron or heavy-bottom skillet brown the ground beef in oil
- Add the onions, garlic, and celery – saute for 2 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Add bay leaves, tomato paste, stock and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the basil leave and combine everything well.
- Cook for 8 minutes on a low simmer.
- Then add the parsley, parmesan, and gruyere cheese – combine well.
- Finally, add the boiled pasta and a little of the reserved cooking liquid from the pasta.
- Toss everything well, using only enough liquid to keep it from drying out.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve garnished with basil leaves and cheese
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Anita
This is an amazing recipe. A less than 15 minutes from scratch pasta dish is quite a miracle, especially when they are this good. 🙂
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Anita. Yes, it really is so easy.