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This beefy and cheesy skillet dinner is so good, it’s worthy of company!
Quick And Inexpensive
Lots of meals tout being quick and budget friendly. Flavor is often another matter.
This is one of those one-pot wonders that has excellent flavor. It has a deep savory taste that’s sure to please the whole family. I found this so good, I’d even serve it to company!
Leftovers? Don’t Toss It
Do you always make too much pasta? That’s something I’m always guilty of doing.
Sometimes I reheat it and throw some spaghetti sauce on it then call it “dinner,” but sometimes I like to think out of the box with it.
The original recipe calls for you to cook it for the recipe. No problems there but then it wouldn’t be a “one-pot” meal. I also thought that the amount called for in the original was way too much. If it were a meal that was meatless, perhaps. However the amount of meat to pasta was way too much. The meat, and it’s flavor, would be totally lost.
But as I said, I tend to have leftover pasta, so I didn’t bother cooking any for this. The only thing missing would be the bit of pasta water that is called for in the recipe. I used plain water and it worked well.
Everyone who reads this site knows that I really hate wasting food and use a lot of leftovers in recipes, so I think you might like some of these ideas to use up what you have from Recipe Lion. This is one that is particularly useful for me since I’m not a milk drinker so always have to use up what I have left around the expiration date. There’s plenty of great ideas in Dessert Recipes That Use Up Milk that I’m sure you’re bound to use (and love!)
Garlic
The recipe calls for a fair amount of garlic. I love the stuff–and so does anyone who eats my leftovers!
If you’re not so keen on it, cut the amount in half. If you feel likewise about onion, then cut that in half as well. I would say to do this if you are feeding this to younger children. It’ll still taste fine, but will appeal to those who prefer a milder taste. But if you have garlic lovin’ kiddos and adults, then go to town!
The Recipe
Cheesy Ground Beef Pasta Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 cups ziti pasta cooked see NOTES
- 1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes optional
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 1 onion chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley plus more for garnish
- salt to taste
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to al dente package directions less 1 minute. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain pasta without rinsing.
- Meanwhile in a large skillet over high heat add 1 tablespoon olive oil and brown beef while breaking up with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Reduce to medium heat. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Stir in garlic, onions, chili flakes, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, parsley, and 1/2 cup pasta (or plain) water. Simmer until meat is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Toss in pasta and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with remaining cheese and cover with lid. Garish with additional parsley.
Candy says
I don’t see any directions for cooking the pasta directly in the one pot. I don’t usually have left overs so I’d like to cook it all together.
Judith Hanneman says
You can but you have to add water. If I’m cooking 1 cup raw pasta, I add about 1 1/2 cups water. Do this after you brown the meat and before you add the cheese. One good recommendation I can make is trying the special pastas especially made for one-pot cooking. Barilla was the first to come out with this–I forget what they call it–but it does work wonderfully.
Juli says
I didn’t see in the directions to drain the fat from the meat after done browning… Do you not do this? Doesn’t it make the final product very greasy?
Judith Hanneman says
You can drain if you want to do it, but for these things I use 93% lean so it wasn’t necessary.
Angelina says
Your recipe is seriously delicious! I’ve been making a dish very similar to this one ever since I got maried. I never have left-over pasta, so I cook-up however much I’ll be using in a separate pot (to avoid excess starch in our dish.) I use lean ground sirloin (sometimes ground turkey) and I also add a small diced bell pepper. I add a can of diced tomatoes (w/juice) and some (thawed) mixed vegetables – so it’s more of a ‘complete meal’, …since I like to get as many veggies into my kiddies as possible.
Judith Hanneman says
I totally agree about more veggies–for the kids and stretching purposes 🙂 That’s the beauty of these recipes. They’re great as-is but can be dressed up in many ways!!!
Robin says
I tried this recipe today and it turned out perfect! I’m a casserole kinda girl so this was right up my alley. I cooked my pasta in a separate pot and used pasta water to thicken the sauce. I like that this is a definite tomato sauce but doesn’t have all the italian spices in it…the Worcestershire sauce gives the end dish a nice flavor. I will make this again!
Judith Hanneman says
I am so glad you enjoyed this!
Baxter @ Foodtalko says
So many wonderful flavors going on in here!