This saucy beef pasta is cooked up all in one pan and can go straight from stovetop to table! Ground beef and your favorite shaped bite-sized pasta are cooked together in a tasty tomato-y sauce that coats every comforting forkful. It's an easy, delicious meal to make any night of the week and is sure to become a family favorite!
Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Bite-sized pasta like rigatoni, penne, macaroni, fusilli, gemelli, etc.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Beef broth (chicken broth okay)
- Red wine
- Tomato paste
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
Heat a large deep skillet or Dutch oven pot over medium-high heat. Add oil to the skillet and saute diced onions and minced garlic for about 1 minute.
Add ground beef to the pan and cook through, breaking up the ground beef as you mix it with the onions and garlic.
Add the dry pasta, broth, red wine, and water. Mix well and make sure pasta is completely submerged.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan/pot and simmer for about 7-8 minutes, stirring the pasta and beef halfway through.
Uncover the pan/pot and add the tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together well.
Continue to simmer uncovered until sauce has reduced and thickened into a sauce that coats all the pasta.
Cooking Tip: If the pasta is not done yet and there is not enough liquid left in the pan, add another ½ cup of water or broth, stir well and continue to simmer until done, checking after 5 minutes.
Commonly Asked Questions
Can I use spaghetti or other noodle type pastas?
Bite-sized pasta shapes are better suited for this recipe. They are more likely to cook evenly and less likely to stick together than using spaghetti or other noodles. If you want to try it with spaghetti or noodles, I would break them in half and then try to keep the noodles moving in the beginning until they have softened and aren't clumping together.
What can I substitute for the red wine?
You can substitute with more broth or water (although broth will give more flavor).
Can I substitute the beef with another ground meat?
Yes! Substitute the ground beef with ground turkey or pork, or a combination! For a vegetarian option, substitute the ground beef with chopped mushrooms.
Delicious Pairings
Pair the beef pasta with a salad topped with delicious dressings like Creamy Greek Yogurt Dressing, Orange Honey Mustard Dressing, or Sweet and Tangy Balsamic Vinaigrette.
If you like enjoying some bread with your pasta, some great gluten-free options are Gluten-Free Bread Rolls, Cornbread with Honey Butter, or Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks. If you are not gluten-free, try my Easy Ciabatta Bread!
Other One-Pan Recipes You Might Like
And there you have it....one-pan saucy beef pasta. In about 30 minutes, you can have this totally satisfying, comforting, hearty and delicious meal on the table and ready to eat. What's not to love?
~ Lisa.
One-Pan Saucy Beef Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. dry bite-sized pasta (rigatoni, gemelli, macaroni, penne, bow tie pasta, etc)
- 2 ½ cups beef broth chicken broth okay
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup red wine
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Garnishing (optional):
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped parsley
- Dried chili flakes
Instructions
- Heat a large deep skillet or Dutch oven pot over medium-high heat.
- Add oil to the skillet and saute diced onions and minced garlic for about 1 minute.
- Add ground beef to the pan and cook through, breaking up the ground beef as you mix it with the onions and garlic.
- Add the dry pasta, broth, red wine, and water. Mix well and make sure pasta is completely submerged. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan/pot and simmer for about 7-8 minutes, stirring the pasta halfway through.
- Uncover the pan/pot and add the tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together well.
- Continue to simmer uncovered until sauce has reduced and thickened into a sauce that coats all the pasta. If the pasta is not done yet and there is not enough liquid left in the pan, add another ½ cup of water or broth, stir well and continue to simmer until done, checking after 5 minutes.
- Garnish with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley, if desired. Serve straight from the pan!
Notes
- Penne, macaroni, rigatoni, gemelli, bowtie pasta, all make good choices for this recipe.
- This recipe works with gluten-free pasta!
- If you do not want to use red wine, substitute with more broth.
- Cooking times for the pasta may vary depending on the brand or type.
- If the sauce cooks down before the pasta is cooked, add more broth or water to the pan, ½ cup at a time until the pasta is done. Be sure to stir the pasta well after adding the extra liquid.
- Top with grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, or dried chili flakes, if desired.
**This post was originally published October 7th, 2020 and republished November 13th, 2024 with an updated recipe, new photos, and new writing.
Sharon says
I wanted to make this recipe as soon as I saw it on your instastories last week! Super easy and the kind of dinner that will be in the rotation - we loved it! I don't usually cook with wine as we aren't regular drinkers but now I have a bottle of red handy just for this. Thanks!
We're not regular wine drinkers either, Sharon, but I wanted to figure out a way to try and incorporate it into some recipes and it totally seemed to work with this dish! Thanks so much for making it and I'm so glad you liked it!
Terri says
I'm all about quick and easy beefy one pot pasta meals! This will definitely be added to the rotation !
Thanks, Terri! I hope you like it!
NANCY says
love comfort meals! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
This is definitely a comfort meal...and a quick one!
Michelle Lister says
I made this tonight for my family and it was a HUGE hit!! Absolutely delicious and so easy to make!! I was hoping I’d have some leftovers for lunch tomorrow but that didn’t happen, everyone went back for seconds and wiped the pan clean!! Five minutes after finishing the family asked when I am making it again!! Thank you so much for such a great recipe Lisa!
That's awesome, Michelle! I'm so glad it was a hit and that you and your family loved it!
Matthew M says
I stumbled across this recipe, and I'm about to make it. There's nothing more satisfying than a beef pasta dish made with stock and a little tomato paste that's also so quick to make!!! Thank you for this! 🙂
Hi Matthew! Thanks for the comment! I hope you enjoyed the dish!
John says
Did you leave the ground beef off the ingredient list?
Thank you so much for pointing out that massive oversight on my part, John! I have corrected the recipe.