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Hungry Healthy Happy » Recipes » Pasta

One Pot Creamy Beef Pasta

Mar 13, 2025 · Written by Dannii Martin · This post may contain affiliate links which earn us commissions if purchases are made · 3 Comments

27 shares
  • 8
Diet: High Protein
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One pot creamy beef pasta with a text overlay title.
One pot creamy beef pasta with a text overlay title.

This one pot creamy beef pasta is SO simple to make in just under 30 minutes. A high protein, family friendly, meal that is perfect for batch cooking. Easy to adapt and add in different vegetables, it is proper comfort food. Everything done in one pan, as even the dried pasta gets mixed in with everything else. Beef pasta in a creamy sauce is just the kind of mid-week comfort food that you need.

Beef pasta in a large cooking pot with a wooden spoon in it.

For us, it has to be a creamy sauce when it comes to a pasta dish. Usually, beef and pasta recipes are cooked in a marinara type sauce, so we thought why not combine the two? There is a still a tomato based sauce that compliments the beef, but then some crème fraiche and Parmesan cheese are stirred in at the end to make it really creamy.

This creamy ground beef pasta is such a favorite in our house, with our kids saying it is even better than Bolognese, which is really saying something. Just a few simple ingredients is all you need and it's all done in one pot, which is a win for us. You also need very little cooking skills to make this beef pasta recipe, as it's as simple as just dumping it all in.

This is also a pretty budget friendly meal, which I think, with the current world climate, is very much needed. It uses pantry staples, and although meat can be expensive, we have made it go a long way by adding canned beans as well.

It means you still get plenty of protein, and the beef stretches further. We have this as serving 6 people, but that's pretty generous - you could get more portions if you bulked it out with sides.

Looking for more beef pasta recipes? Why not try our easy Slow Cooker Meatballs, comforting Bolognese Pasta Bake or our delicious Slow Cooker Beef Ragu?

Jump to:
  • Ingredients and Substitutions
  • Variations
  • How To Make Creamy Beef Pasta - Step by Step
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Extra Tips
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • More Pasta Recipes
  • Recipe
  • Feedback

Ingredients and Substitutions

All the ingredients needed to make this recipe, each with a text overlay label.

A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Pasta - Anything goes here. We used spiral pasta, as it looks so good. But you could use fusilli, penne, farfalle (bow tie) or rigatoni. It needs to be pasta shapes rather than spaghetti. Use whole wheat for added fiber.
  • Beef mince - We used 5% fat lean beef mince to keep this recipe lower in fat. But any fat percentage would work and the higher fat would have more flavor. You could use ground chicken or ground turkey too.
  • Onion - We used a brown onion, but you could swap it for red onions or even shallots for a sweeter flavor. Save time by using frozen onion.
  • Garlic - Use frozen garlic to save time.
  • Herbs - We used an Italian seasoning blend, as this meat pasta recipe is all about saving time. You could make your own with dried parsley, oregano, rosemary, paprika, fennel etc.
  • Tomatoes - This is where the bulk of the sauce comes from. We used canned diced tomatoes and then tomato paste (tomato puree) for a more intense tomato flavor.
  • Beans - Always our favorite way to bulk out meat dishes. We used white kidney beans (cannellini beans), and when mixed amongst the pasta you have no idea they are there. Our 5 year old can be a bit hit or miss with beans and he had no idea!
  • Stock - This is added because the pasta cooks in the sauce, so there needs to be enough liquid to cook in. You can use vegetable or beef broth.
  • Crème fraiche - This is where the creamy sauce comes from in this cream beef pasta recipe. We used reduced fat to keep it light.
  • Parmesan - This adds extra creaminess. You could use a reduced fat sharp cheddar to keep it lighter.
  • Herbs - Some fresh parsley before serving really lightens it all up.

Variations

Veggies - We love any dish that we can add plenty of extra vegetables into, and this creamy beef pasta is just that. You can add some diced mushrooms at the same time as the onions or you could stir in some spinach when you are adding the crème fraiche at the end. For hidden vegetables, you could shred broccoli stalk or zucchini (courgette) and mix that it.

Cream - We have used light crème fraiche to keep it light, however you could stir in some light or heavy cream to make it a bit more indulgent.

Cheese - You can swap theParmesan for mozzarella instead, but it would get a bit stringy when melted.

Sausage - If you wanted to change things up a bit, you could swap the beef mince for ground sausage.

How To Make Creamy Beef Pasta - Step by Step

Chopped onions and crushed garlic cooking in oil in a large pan.
  1. Step 1: In a large pot, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Cook the onion and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes.
Ground beef added to the pan.
  1. Step 2: Add the beef and break up with a wooden spoon. Add the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes.
Pasta shapes, chopped tomatoes and stock added to the pan.
  1. Step 3: Once the beef has browned, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, pasta and stock. Bring to the boil then reduce to a low heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Beans and cream added to the pan.
  1. Step 4: When the sauce has thickened and the pasta is al dente, add the beans and creme fraiche.
Cooked beef and pasta in the large pot.
  1. Step 5: Cook for a further 2 minutes.
Grated parmesan and chopped herbs on top of the beef pasta.
  1. Step 6: Top with the Parmesan and chopped parsley before serving.

Serving Suggestions

This is quite a heavy dish, although it tastes far more indulgent than it actually is. So, we like to serve it with some greens. We like our Garlic Spring Greens or Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli to accompany this dish.

You can't go wrong with a side salad and garlic bread either. Why not try our Little Gem Salad or Rocket Salad and some Air Fryer Garlic Bread or Cheesy Garlic Bread?

Grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley on top of beef pasta.

Extra Tips

  • Depending on how high you are cooking this, you may need to add a bit more stock to make sure that the pasta has enough liquid to cook in.
  • Make sure you use a very large pan to make this, as it makes as big batch and everything is cooked together.
  • You can swap the canned tomatoes for passata (tomato sauce) if you want a smoother sauce, but we like the added texture.
  • To give this a kick of heat, you could stir some red pepper flakes/chili flakes into the mix.
A wooden spoon lifting some beef pasta out of a large cooking pan.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze this, however it will go a little bit mushy when reheated. Make sure it is fully defrosted before reheating, and add a little water to the pan and reheat on low until piping hot through.

Can I make this in advance?

Yes, you can, but there is a small change you need to make. This can go mushy when reheating, so if you are planning on making this in advance, then undercook the pasta a little. So, when you reheat it that pasta will be perfectly cooked.

More Pasta Recipes

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    Garlic Parmesan Kale Pasta
  • Chill prawn linguine on a plate with a fork.
    Chilli Prawn Linguine
  • A portion of turkey pasta bake.
    Turkey Pasta Bake
  • A bowl of cavolo nero pasta with a fork in it.
    Cavolo Nero Pasta

If you’ve tried this beef and pasta recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

Recipe

A large cooking pot full of creamy beef pasta.

One Pot Creamy Beef Pasta

By: Dannii Martin
Make creamy beef pasta in one pot in just 30 minutes. This easy recipe is perfect for family meals and batch cooking.
A circular logo saying HP.
High Protein
5 from 2 votes
Pin Print Save recipe Saved!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 24 minutes mins
Total: 29 minutes mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 489kcal
Allergens:
An illustration of a carton of milk.
Dairy
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Gluten
An illustration of a cow's head.
Meat

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon Olive oil
  • 1 Onion - small; diced
  • 2 Garlic cloves - crushed
  • 500 g (1.1 lb) Ground beef - 5% fat
  • 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 pinch Sea salt
  • 1 pinch Ground black pepper
  • 400 g (14 oz) Chopped tomatoes - canned
  • 2 tablespoon Tomato puree
  • 250 g (9 oz) Pasta shapes
  • 750 ml (3 cups) Vegetable stock
  • 235 g (1.33 cups) Cannellini beans - canned; drained weight
  • 150 ml (0.66 cups) Reduced fat creme fraiche
  • 30 g (0.25 cups) Parmesan - grated
  • Fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Heat 1 teaspoon Olive oil and cook 1 Onion and 2 Garlic cloves until softened, about 3 minutes.
  • Add 500 g Ground beef and break up with a wooden spoon. Add 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 pinch Sea salt and 1 pinch Ground black pepper. Cook for 4 minutes.
  • Once the beef has browned, add 400 g Chopped tomatoes, 2 tablespoon Tomato puree, 250 g Pasta shapes and 750 ml Vegetable stock. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • When the sauce has thickened and the pasta is almost cooked, add 235 g Cannellini beans and 150 ml Reduced fat creme fraiche.
  • Cook for a further 2 minutes.
  • Top with 30 g Parmesan and Fresh parsley before serving.

Recipe Tips

  • Depending on how high you are cooking this, you may need to add a bit more stock to make sure that the pasta has enough liquid to cook in.
  • Make sure you use a very large pan to make this, as it makes as big batch and everything is cooked together.
  • You can swap the canned tomatoes for passata (tomato sauce) if you want a smoother sauce, but we like the added texture.
  • To give this a kick of heat, you could stir some red pepper flakes/chili flakes into the mix.

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 840mg | Potassium: 511mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 421IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 4mg

The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.

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Comments

  1. Lesley says

    April 07, 2025 at 8:16 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for the first time tonight. Grated a carrot into it, for some extra veg, amd added half a cup of water. My picky grown up son absolutely loved it, as did I! I got 7 portions out of it though, as 6 would have been too big a portion! Lovely dosh. Thank you Danni!

    Reply
    • Dannii Martin says

      April 20, 2025 at 4:11 pm

      I love the hidden vegetable addition. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  2. Sarah says

    March 18, 2025 at 7:58 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for my picky family and they said said it was the best thing I had made in a long time! So easy and real food! Thank you!

    Reply
5 from 2 votes

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My name is Dannii. Here you will find easy family recipes with a healthy twist.

Established in 2011, Hungry Healthy Happy has become one of the UK's most popular food blogs, with two successful recipe books published.

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