Garlic Butter Pasta Beef (Printable)
Hearty pasta in garlic butter sauce with seasoned ground beef and Parmesan, ready in 30 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, or penne)
→ Ground Beef
02 - 1 lb ground beef
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
→ Garlic Butter Sauce
05 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
06 - 5 garlic cloves, minced
07 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
08 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
→ Finish & Garnish
09 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
11 - Salt and pepper, to taste
# Directions:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water before draining in a colander. Set drained pasta aside.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, season with salt and black pepper, and cook until fully browned and no pink remains, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon. Drain any excess fat and transfer the beef to a plate.
03 - In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Sauté for about 1 minute, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown.
04 - Return the browned ground beef to the skillet. Add the drained pasta and toss everything together. Gradually stir in small amounts of the reserved pasta water until the sauce coats the pasta evenly.
05 - Sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese over the pasta and toss until melted and evenly distributed. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
06 - Remove the skillet from heat. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately while hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It takes longer to argue about what to order for delivery than it does to make this from scratch.
- The garlic butter sauce clings to every strand of pasta like it was meant to be there, rich and savory without needing a drop of cream.
02 -
- If you let the garlic go past pale golden it turns bitter and that bitterness will haunt the entire dish no matter how much cheese you add.
- Saving the pasta water is not optional because without it the butter sauce will feel greasy instead of silky and cohesive.
03 -
- Toast the Italian seasoning in the butter for about ten seconds before adding the garlic and the dried herbs will release far more flavor than if you just sprinkle them on top.
- Grate the Parmesan as finely as you can because coarse shreds take longer to melt and leave stringy clumps instead of a smooth sauce.