Description
This One Pot Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta is a hearty and comforting dish that combines ground beef, Italian herbs, and a rich tomato sauce with creamy heavy cream, all cooked together with pasta in a single pot. Perfect for a quick yet flavorful weeknight dinner, this recipe keeps things simple while delivering a satisfying meal with minimal cleanup.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Main 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
- 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
- 350g (12 oz) fusilli, penne, elbow macaroni, or other short pasta
- 3/4 cups thickened / heavy cream
To serve
- Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- Parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté garlic and onion: Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over high heat. Add the finely minced garlic and chopped onion and cook for 1.5 minutes until fragrant and softened.
- Cook beef and season: Add the ground beef to the pot, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks until no pink remains. Stir in the Italian herbs and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and continue cooking for 1 minute to remove the raw flavor.
- Add liquids and pasta: Pour in the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir well to combine, then add the pasta directly into the pot.
- Simmer and cook pasta: Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cook for 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes and more frequently towards the end to prevent the pasta from sticking to the base of the pot, until the pasta is nearly cooked through.
- Finish with cream: Stir in the heavy cream and simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. The sauce will remain quite saucy as the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid.
- Serve: Remove the pot from heat, give everything a good stir, and serve in bowls topped with grated Parmesan cheese and optional chopped parsley.
Notes
- Use low sodium chicken stock to control saltiness in the dish.
- You can substitute the pasta with your preferred short pasta shape like fusilli, penne, or elbow macaroni.
- Red pepper flakes are optional and can be adjusted or omitted for less heat.
- This dish reheats well and the sauce thickens as it sits; add a splash of water or stock when reheating if needed.
- For a vegetarian version, substitute beef with a plant-based mince and use vegetable stock.
