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Home One Pot

One pot creamy tomato beef pasta

By:Nagi
Published:14 Aug '23Updated:16 Aug '23
120 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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!

Bowls of One pot creamy tomato beef pasta

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!

Pot of freshly made One pot creamy tomato beef pasta

Proof of ooziness:

Close up photo of One pot creamy tomato beef pasta

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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  1. Add liquids and pasta – Add the stock, canned tomato, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Give it a good stir, then add the pasta.

  2. 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.

  1. 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!

  2. 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!!!

Serving One pot creamy tomato beef pasta

Bowls of One pot creamy tomato beef pasta ready to be eaten

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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Pot of freshly made One pot creamy tomato beef pasta

One pot creamy tomato beef pasta

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Mains
Italian, Western
5 from 62 votes
Servings4 – 5 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. This is a beefy pasta cooked with Italian seasonings in a creamy tomato sauce. Epitome of homemade comfort food with the convenience of one-pot cooking! Love how the pasta absorbs the flavour of the sauce.
For more, see the full One Pot Pasta recipe collection.

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:

1. Italian Herbs – Just a store bought mix, very common at grocery stores. If you don’t have any, just use a mix of dried oregano, parsley, basil. Or sub with a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce.
2. Chicken stock/broth – Tastier than water! I stock up when on sale. Economical alternative – I recommend using Vegeta stock powder (info here – I use it regularly) or Chinese chicken stock powder (Knorr) plus water. I prefer the flavour of these over other Western stock powders. 
3. Any short pasta will work here, like macaroni, penne etc but not tiny ones like risoni/orzo. If using long pasta, easiest to break in half and you can cook about 400g/14oz (a little more than short pasta).
4. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings using 90% lean beef.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 610cal (31%)Carbohydrates: 64g (21%)Protein: 35g (70%)Fat: 24g (37%)Saturated Fat: 11g (69%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 97mg (32%)Sodium: 988mg (43%)Potassium: 1013mg (29%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 8g (9%)Vitamin A: 868IU (17%)Vitamin C: 11mg (13%)Calcium: 105mg (11%)Iron: 5mg (28%)
Keywords: beef pasta, creamy tomato beef pasta, easy pasta dinner, One Pot Pasta
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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).

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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120 Comments

  1. Leanne says

    December 9, 2023 at 5:05 pm

    5 stars
    This is so easy and so tasty! I absolutely love it.

    Reply
  2. Sarah says

    December 9, 2023 at 12:34 pm

    5 stars
    Husband made this, did not follow recipe to a T. Turned out delicious, was even better the next day. Made in cast iron and almost overflowed, so use a big pan when making.

    Reply
  3. Amanda Fontaine says

    December 7, 2023 at 4:18 am

    5 stars
    This is seriously the best beef past recipe! I don’t think I will cook it any other way from here on out! Reheats even better next day.

    Reply
  4. Don says

    December 6, 2023 at 4:40 pm

    5 stars
    So yummy! It’s a winner

    Reply
  5. Victoria Wilson says

    December 5, 2023 at 7:32 am

    5 stars
    It’s ridiculous how delicious this dish is! It’s so quick and easy. Perfect midweek comfort dinner.

    Reply
  6. Luisa says

    December 1, 2023 at 8:45 am

    5 stars
    I’m one of those annoying tears that believe the magic of a bolognaise happens in the third hour so initially I was hesitant to try this recipe.
    I gave it a go one night when I had the ingredients and little time.
    I’m so glad I got over myself and tried this recipe. It was way and delicious. The teenagers rated it a solid “mmmmm this is bussin”.

    Reply
  7. Emma W says

    November 30, 2023 at 6:59 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect meal for getting my baby interested in food. Thank you!

    Reply
  8. Emma says

    November 29, 2023 at 8:02 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious recipe as always Nagi! I really love the taste, as do the fussy kids and super easy to throw together. Another fantastic recipe from my favourite food website!!

    Reply
  9. JK says

    November 29, 2023 at 6:19 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing & easy

    Reply
  10. Erin says

    November 27, 2023 at 7:06 pm

    5 stars
    This is the ultimate comfort food! My 8 year old daughter rated it 10/10 and said it was BRILLIANT! I concur!

    Reply
  11. Selena says

    November 26, 2023 at 7:13 pm

    5 stars
    This is honestly one of the nicest pasta dishes I’ve EVER made. It’s easy, delicious and tastes incredible even as leftovers. I love how it’s not too dry. I use plant based ground meat and rigatoni, and it comes out perfectly. The only change I made is I started to make my pasta the traditional way in another pot but on a very low heat, and then added it to the main pot after about 10 minutes. This is because the first time I made the recipe the pasta turned out a little too al dente, however that may be due to the brand of pasta I used also. I also used heavy cream the first time but substituted for 1 tbsp of butter and a splash of milk the second time – couldn’t tell the difference. An AMAZING recipe, and this is coming from somebody who can barely even cook! Thank you Nagi. My only question is whether a particular type of onion is recommended? I use yellow usually but wondering if red might work better here!

    Reply
  12. Katelyn says

    November 25, 2023 at 10:04 am

    I have a larger family so need to make a larger batch, do I just double everything?

    Reply
  13. Aimy says

    November 13, 2023 at 2:43 am

    Would this work with chicken mince? Would I have to change anything?

    Reply
    • Holly says

      November 23, 2023 at 9:39 am

      I totally could Aimy. Chicken mince is leaner than beef so at most I’d add a touch more olive oil when sauting the onion and garlic or before you add the chicken.

      Reply
  14. Stephanie says

    November 12, 2023 at 2:14 am

    What a great recipe! And, as others have said, it is so forgiving. I will be cooking out of the pantry til I can get to the shops in a couple days so I used diced instead of crushed tomatoes. AND because we don’t often have cream in the house I used evaporated milk (which I buy when on sale) because it usually 😉 works. Love others additions of extra veggies, which I’ll be doing in the future.

    Reply
  15. Lyn says

    October 30, 2023 at 1:55 pm

    5 stars
    Cooked this pasta dish last night and it is a winner! So simple & so tasty. Turned out perfectly. Thanks Nagi👍🏼

    Reply
  16. Rachel says

    October 17, 2023 at 4:16 pm

    5 stars
    The thing I love about your recipes is how forgiving they often are. I only had half the amount of pork mince so I used that and bulked it out with mushrooms. Also dumped in the remnants of a bag of frozen peas (cos green). Turned out great, but the ultimate test of our culinary collab will be when my 2 year old tries it… the harshest and least predictable of critics. Regardless, I like it – thanks Nagi ❤️

    Reply
  17. lynsey Irvine says

    October 16, 2023 at 6:51 pm

    Hey,

    Do you think this would work with plant based mince?

    Thanks

    L

    Reply
  18. J-Mom says

    October 15, 2023 at 10:27 pm

    5 stars
    Loved it!, Creamy, tasty! Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
  19. IRENE G says

    October 1, 2023 at 10:47 pm

    5 stars
    I made this tonight. My son commented that “it’s gold”. Huh? You have tasted gold before? Haha. Anyway, if this fussypot teenager likes this, I’ll be making it again. 🙂

    Reply
  20. Trish says

    October 1, 2023 at 9:00 pm

    5 stars
    Wowwww, another winner!! Super easy to prep, little effort required 👏 hubby very happy 😊

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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