The ease and comfort of this cheesy ground beef skillet pasta recipe is beyond compare. With just a few simple ingredients, it’s one of those great recipes to have in your back pocket when you need to put dinner on the table and don’t want to spend too much time thinking about it.
Some people might call this a recipe for cheeseburger pasta, because the ground beef, pasta sauce, and cheddar cheese are all it really takes to throw this dinner together, reminiscent of the great American classic cheeseburger.
As there are only a handful of ingredients, it matters that you get the best quality ingredients that you can afford. Starting with the ground beef, I used grass-fed ground beef from my local CSA, Local Roots NYC. If you’ve never had grass-fed beef before, the cows nibbling on various patches of grass gives it an earthier, more distinct flavor that tastes even meatier that standard beef.
For the cheese, I used a block of sharp cheddar that I grated myself. Yes, the pre-shredded stuff is always a great way to save a few minutes, but it’s always best if you can shred the cheese yourself as the pre-shredded cheese is often coated with a material to keep it from clumping. By shredding the cheese yourself, there’s less stuff (i.e. preservatives like potato starch and natamycin) that you’re adding to your food.
The pasta shape I used for these photographs is called malloreddus (aka little Sardinian gnocchi), but any medium-length pasta, such as cavatelli, shells, or rotini, will work the same.
And though I usually make my own pasta sauce, I took a shortcut and used a jarred version made with high quality, natural ingredients. Depending on the brand and flavor you choose, you might need to add a lot or a little herbs and spices to get it to your liking. (But personally, I always love a little heat, so I’d urge you not to skimp on the red pepper flakes.)
Cheesy Ground Beef Skillet Pasta Recipe
With just a few simple ingredients, this recipe comes together with ease and is bound to bring a smile to everyone sitting around the dinner table.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (1/2 a box) medium pasta, such as malloreddus, shells, or rotini
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef, preferably grass-fed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- One 20-ounce jar pasta sauce
- 8 ounces (about 2 cups) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400˚F.
- Cook the pasta per the instructions on the box in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente; drain.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and season with garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and some salt and pepper, and cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until the beef is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the pasta sauce and simmer, reducing the heat as needed, for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
- Add the cooked pasta along with one-quarter (about 1/2 cup) of the cheese to the sauce and stir to combine. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and the sauce is gently bubbling, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
This looks really good! I don’t often use malloreddus, but you’ve inspired me to try!
Glad I could provide some inspiration!
Yum!! Making this ?
I would recommend using grain fed beef if you actually want flavor.
I tried this, and the husband was skeptical. Unfortunately, I made the whole box of rotini and he put it in before I could tell him only half. We picked what we could out and cooked it anyway. It was still good even though I made a mistake. Great recipe. Thanks ?
A little extra pasta never hurt anyone. Haha! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Do you not drain the burger
You can if you want to, but I don’t think it’s necessary.
I’m actually in the process of cooking this and it smells and taste um um good already!
This was really good! I tweaked it a little adding pressed garlic and garlic salt vs garlic powder and a variety of cheese but overall I enjoyed it 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just out of the oven…10 out of 10!!
This is really good! I used a combination of the cheeses I had on hand.
Made this tonight and it’s delicious! I did add a can of diced tomatoes and some mushrooms.
Made this with a jar of Ledo’s spaghetti sauce. Delicious!!
Do you have the nutrition facts for this meal?
I’m sorry, but no I don’t.
Delicious! I used ground turkey instead of beef. I like that it did not have Italian seasonings besides garlic. I will make this every time I need a big bowl of pasta! Thank you for this easy recipe