This is a beef pasta cooked with Italian seasonings in a creamy tomato sauce. The epitome of easy homemade comfort food with the convenience of one-pot cooking!
One Pot Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta
I’m quite selective about one-pot pasta recipes. I only use it for saucy pastas, like today’s. It just doesn’t work properly with less saucy pastas, like Puttanesca and pesto pasta, because there’s not enough liquid to cook the pasta evenly.
So, any one-pot pasta recipe you see here on my website is saucy and oozy.
I’ve never heard any complaints. Everybody loves sauce! 🙂
Today’s is a beef pasta that comes with a creamy tomato sauce. It’s essentially a variation of Bolognese, with Italian seasonings plus a dash of cream. Total crowd pleaser!
Proof of ooziness:
Ingredients in this One Pot Beef Pasta
Following on from my introduction about the sauciness of one pot pastas, it will be no surprise when I say that the key to cooking one pot pasta recipes is to have plenty of liquid that the pasta can absorb! Dried pasta absorbs more than double its own weight in liquid as it cooks. Today, we use 4 cups of stock plus a can of tomato for 360g/12 ounces of pasta.
Beef mince (ground beef) – I use lean here (90% or 95%) but any fat % will do. Actually, the fattier the beef, the beefier the flavour – because fat is where all the flavour is! If you mix, say, lamb fat into very lean beef mince and cook it up, you’d swear you’re eating lamb. 🙂
Chicken stock/broth – The cooking liquid of choice. Tastier than water! I use the liquid cartons regularly in my cooking so I stock up when it’s on sale. For an economical option, I recommend using Vegeta stock powder or Chinese chicken stock powder (Knorr) plus water. I prefer the flavour of these over other Western stock powders.
Pasta type – I used the spirals (fusilli), but other similar sized short pastas will work just fine too. Penne, ziti, elbow macaroni, shells. Avoid the really small pastas like risoni/orzo, tiny stars etc. If using long pasta, it’s easiest to break in half. You can also use a little more – increase up to about 400g/14oz.
Cream – Just 3/4 cup, stirred in right at the end transforms a normal tomato sauce into a creamy tomato sauce! You really do only need 3/4 cup to get the flavour and colour impact of the creaminess.
Garlic and onion – Essential flavour base.
Tomato paste and canned tomato – Tomato paste gives a boost to the tomato flavour as well as thickening the sauce a touch.
Italian herbs – Seasoning! I use a store bought mix, it’s a staple in the dried herbs and spices aisle at any grocery store and doesn’t cost any more than other dried herbs. If you don’t have it, use any mix of dried oregano, basil and parsley. Or, a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Just something to add flavour.
Red pepper flakes (chilli flakes) – 100% optional. I like to add a tiny touch of warmth into this to keep things interest but you can just leave it out if you prefer!
How to make One Pot Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta
Don’t be alarmed by how saucy it is at the end as you take it off the stove, that’s exactly what you want. Pasta absorbs liquid really quickly, so by the time you ladle into bowls, garnish with parmesan, put the bowls on the table, yell at everyone to sit down then start eating, the pasta will go from a little bit too soupy to the perfect level of ooziness.
Cook beef – Sauté the garlic and onion. Then add the beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see red.
Toast seasoning – Add the Italian herbs then cook for 30 seconds. This really brings out the flavour of the herbs and spices, and improves the flavour by toasting it. Then add the tomato paste and stir for a minute. This cooks out the rawness and also improves the flavour.
Add liquids and pasta – Add the stock, canned tomato, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir, then add the pasta.
Cook 15 minutes – Once the liquid comes back up to a simmer, cook for 15 minutes until the pasta is just about cooked. Stir every couple of minutes at the start then more regularly towards the end to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick to the base of the pot. As you cook, the liquid will reduce and thicken but should still be soupier than you’d expect.
Cream it! Stir in the cream, bring it back up to a simmer then keep cooking for another minute until the pasta is fully cooked. It should still be slightly soupier than you think!
Serving – Remove from the stove, then give it a good stir and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with parmesan and a little parsley if using, then devour!
As noted at above, pasta absorbs liquid quite quickly so it will go from a little too soupy to perfect ooziness in the time it takes between taking it off the stove and eating it. In any case, saucier is better than dry. Nobody wants a mound of gluey, stodgy pasta!!!
YUM. That’s a bowl of food that is 100% me. It’s not fancy. It’s fuss free to make. It’s hearty and cosy and easy and rustic and full of flavour.
I know it’s a cliche to say “it’s me on a plate”, but it really is. (Well, bowl).
Love to know what you think if you try it! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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One pot creamy tomato beef pasta
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 500g/ 1 lb beef mince / ground beef
- 2 tsp Italian herbs (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 400g/ 14 oz can crushed tomatoes (or tomato passata)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (chilli flakes, optional)
- 1 1/2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups (1 L) chicken stock/broth , low sodium (Note 2)
- 350g/ 12oz fusilli, penne, elbow macaroni or other short pasta (Note 3)
- 3/4 cups thickened / heavy cream
Serving:
- Parmesan cheese , finely grated
- Parsley , finely chopped, optional
Instructions
- Sauté – Heat the oil on high heat in a large heavy-based pot. Cook garlic and onion for 1 1/2 minutes.
- Cook beef & seasonings – Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you can no longer see red meat. Add the Italian herbs and cook for 30 seconds, then add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to cook out the raw flavour.
- All in – Add crushed tomato, chicken stock, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir, then add the pasta.
- Cook 15 min – Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cook for 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes then more frequently towards the end (ensure pasta doesn't stick to base) until the pasta is just about cooked.
- Creamy – Add cream, then simmer for a further 1 to 2 minutes. It will still be quite saucy – this is what you want! Pasta absorbs liquid quickly, so it will still be nice and oozy when you start eating.
- Serve – Remove from the stove. Give it a good stir then ladle into bowls. Serve with parmesan and parsley.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
I caught him snuffling a tub of rice in the pantry so he was made to walk around with a sticker of shame. (Raw rice grains. I think there was a smear of sauce on the tub. It can surely be the only explanation).
This was an absolute winner! I used crumbled feta as I didn’t have any cream. It melted in perfectly and looked the same. Like some others I also added in some grated zucchini and red capsicum. Plenty for leftovers!
Another delicious and easy meal loved by everyone!
The elbow pasta was the bomb! Never cooked with it before and sucked up the flavour amazing.
This was outstanding Nagi, made full batch for my daughter and I, will have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Reduced Red Pepper Flakes a little as the ones we currently have here in QLD are a little hotter than usual. Thanks
Any thoughts on a non-dairy substitution for the cream?
flora have a new plant based thickened cream, or loco, or zymil
Great one, thanks!
Hearty and delicious!! So easy it will be a good quick dinner if you’re under the pump or unwell.
Added some baby spinach leaves and grated zucchini just because I needed to use them up but you’d never have noticed amongst all the goodness.
Yum! Before adding the cream, I put half in a container ready to freeze. This was so delicious, another winner! Thanks Nagi and Dozer.
Truly ready in 30 minutes and so so so delicious. Cooked it with pork and veal mince, didn’t have Italian seasoning on hand so I used dried basil, oregano and parsley as suggested. Actually preferred it because I was able to use less oregano, which my husband dislikes. Finely grated a small zucchini into there before adding the pasta and my toddler was none the wiser.
Better than bolognaise for quick a weeknight meal. Will make this one again and again and again.
So easy and delicious. All your recipes turn out fantastic !
Great recipe, there’s 2 of us so i halved the pasta and sauce, we have enough for tonight as well, so good, thankyou Nagi
Absolutely delicious Nagi…thank you! XX
Made this the other night – very good one-burner, fast bolgnaise-like option, perfect for camping as suggested. Appreciated having accurate quantities re liquid vs pasta, otherwise it’s a bit of a gamble! Left out the cream, added in red capsicum and zucchini, all the family enjoyed it.
Gorgeous as always Nagi ! So glad your book is available in the UK now! It’s on my Amazon wish list
Your recipes are just fail proof. Thank you x
So delicious and looks just like the pictures! I always mix my ground beef with ground chicken ahead of time. This time I used meatloaf mix (pork, veal, beef) and ground chicken. Used whole milk instead of cream but followed everything else. So happy to have this in the fridge as I am starting back to work after a teacher’s summer off! What a delicious dinner to come home too!
Love love love! However, 350 grams of pasta? When they come in 400 gram boxes? What am I to do with 50 grams of left over uncooked pastas?
Just add the 50gm and add some extra water, won’t make much difference
Isn’t it great how recipies evolve and the way we adapt them? I made this tonight with an Italian sausage blend by the Daring Gourmet (YUM) which I’d originally mixed up to make a sausage & tortellini soup from Pinch of Yum (so-so)
Tonight I’m in piggy heaven because THIS is what that Italian sausage was born for!
All the stars Nagi, thank you <3
Made this last night, no Italian herbs so used Moroccan, sensational. Thanks Naji
Absolutely delicious and so family friendly.
Just made this tonight for Hubby and I; oh my Lord! Amazing. Thank you, Nagi 💕
So easy and delicious! Well done Nagi!
I made this for dinner tonight and my daughter said – after her first bite – why does this taste so good???? She had two servings! 🙂 I loved it too.