This easy ground beef pasta comes together quickly and is full of delicious cheesy flavors. This is a comforting meal that the whole family will love!
Prep Time20mins
Cook Time25mins
Total Time45mins
Ingredients
1lbpastashells are our favorite!
1Tablespoonolive oil
1lbground beef
1mediumoniondiced
3clovesgarlicminced
2Tablespoonsall-purpose flour
1TablespoonItalian seasoning
115 ouncecan tomato sauce
110 ouncecan tomatoes and diced green chiliesdrained of their juices
2Tablespoonscream cheesediced into small pieces
8ozsharp cheddar cheeseshredded
Reserved pasta water(as needed)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until it's al dente. When it's finished, drain and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, pour the olive oil into sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the ground beef, being sure to break it up well as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside. Drain off any excess fat from the pan.
Sauté the onion and garlic in the same pan until the onion is soft and translucent. Whisk in the Italian seasoning, then whisk in the flour. Whisk for one minute until it's fully mixed in.
Carefully stir in the tomato sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, and let it bubble for 4-5 minutes.
Add in the cream cheese, and stir until it's fully melted into the sauce.
Stir in the drained tomatoes and diced chilies, and the cooked ground beef.
Add the grated cheese and carefully stir in until it's fully combined and melted. Gently stir in the cooked pasta. Add in some of the reserved pasta water (if needed) to thin the sauce out a little.
Top with more shredded cheese if desired (there's no such thing as too much cheese!) and freshly cracked black pepper, and serve!
Notes
Note: This recipe was updated on 03/12/21 – beef broth was removed from the ingredient list, and reserved pasta water was added.