My Creamy Beef Pasta will be a great addition to your pasta selection. It is pure comfort food, with the perfect combination of savoury and creamy. To begin, we make a simple beef ragu using traditional ingredients. The addition of four different herbs gives great depth of flavour to the sauce, and for extra umami, we add a leftover piece of Parmesan rind. We round off the flavoursome sauce by adding cream. It balances the acidity of the tomatoes and gives the sauce a rich, luxurious texture. It is certain to become a family favourite.
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Simple ingredients are combined to make a flavour-filled, comforting dish.
- There is a gluten-free option; just use the appropriate pasta.
- You can make the basic sauce three days in advance and add the cream just before serving.
- It is freezer friendly, and ideal for when you are after an easy meal.
- There are few meals that are as satisfying as a bowl of pasta.
Recipe Inspiration: I have often noted the subtle transition that occurs when cream is added to soup or pasta sauce. Just a small amount mellows the flavours and adds silkiness to the texture, giving the dish a luxurious feeling. And so, my Creamy Beef Pasta is the result of my curiosity. I am delighted with the result, and I hope that you also enjoy it.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Rigatoni pasta: we like this ridged, tubular pasta; it catches the sauce. You can use another pasta that you prefer or have on hand.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Our preference is this oil from the first pressing of the olives. It has great flavour.
- Brown/yellow onion, celery, carrot: we blend and then sauté the vegetables to make a "soffritto", the flavour base of the sauce.
- Garlic: adds flavour to the sauce. Fresh cloves are superior to the jarred variety.
- Beef mince/ground beef: we prefer good quality lean beef.
- Tomato paste: this is a thick, concentrated paste, great for adding rich flavour to many savoury dishes.
- Fresh rosemary, dried oregano and fresh thyme: add great savoury flavour.
- Red chilli pepper flakes: add subtle heat.
- Crushed tomatoes: you can use diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes that you crush yourself.
- Water: to avoid waste, we use a small amount of water to rinse out the tomato cans.
- Parmesan rind: never discard your rind, it adds a savoury (umami) note to the sauce.
- Heavy/thickened cream: for the best flavour, we use cream with a minimum milk fat content of 35%.
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper: the difference between a delicious, flavoursome meal and one that is bland is often the amount of seasoning. Before serving your sauce, check that it is to your taste, adding salt, pepper or chilli flakes if necessary.
- Pasta water: before draining your cooked pasta, always reserve some pasta water. The starchy water can be added to the sauce if it is getting too thick, or when you combine the pasta in the pan with the sauce and finish cooking. It helps the sauce emulsify and adhere better to the pasta.
- Parmesan cheese: freshly grated cheese is added to the pasta when serving. We use Parmigiano Reggiano but Grana Padano is also excellent.
- Fresh basil leaves: we add finely chopped basil leaves to the pasta when serving. The heat of the pasta releases the aroma and flavour. So good!
Variations:
Beef: you can use a variety of ground/minced meats, such as beef and pork or pork and veal.
How To Make Creamy Beef Pasta:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 - Blend the vegetables:
In a small food processor, add the onion, celery and carrot and process until smooth.
2 - Cook the vegetables:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the pureed vegetables and sea salt. Cook, stirring occasionally then add the garlic. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
3 - Cook the beef mince:
To the vegetable mix, add the beef mince and cook.
4 - Cook the tomato paste:
Push the beef to the side to create a "hot spot" and add the tomato paste.
5 - Add in the crushed tomatoes:
Add canned tomatoes, water, herbs and Parmesan rind. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally. Lower heat and continue to simmer.
6 - Toss with the pasta:
Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water.
Add the cream to the sauce and stir. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and check the seasoning. Serve with Parmesan cheese and finely chopped fresh basil.
Hint: when you're cooking pasta, just before draining it, set aside some pasta water. The starchy pasta water helps emulsify the sauce ingredients.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
The pasta is best when eaten freshly cooked. However, you can make the sauce, without the cream, up to three days in advance. When ready to serve, heat the sauce, cook the pasta and add the cream to the sauce when the pasta is almost cooked.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To avoid the sauce splitting, I suggest when reheating, you add a small amount of water or cream and heat very gently on the stovetop.
For the best result, do not overcook the pasta. Cook it until just al dente, which translates as "to the tooth". At this stage, the pasta is still slightly firm when it is bitten. It will continue cooking when combined with the sauce.
The pasta water may look uninspiring, but it holds the key to a great plate of pasta. It contains salt and starch from the cooked pasta. When you add the cooked pasta to the sauce, along with some of the reserved pasta water, it acts as a thickening agent and emulsifies with the cream, creating a silky, luxurious sauce which clings to the pasta. This is the Italian way.
They can be very finely chopped or even grated on a box grater.
Top Tip:
For the best result, to achieve maximum flavour, we encourage you to use good quality ingredients. Use good quality lean beef, tinned tomatoes and the best olive oil that you have.
Serving Suggestions:
This Creamy Beef Pasta is perfect for:
- Weeknight family meals or casual entertaining with family or friends.
- Having a freezer friendly meal on hand for busy nights.
- For a party, serve family style for people to help themselves.
- If you're having a buffet, serve with some other dishes, such as Kale and Apple Slaw and Mediterranean Bean Salad.
This Creamy Beef Pasta is full of flavour and so easy to make. I hope that you enjoy it, and it will be as popular in your home as it is in mine. I look forward to hearing if you try it.
Alex xx
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Creamy Beef Pasta
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 340 g (12 oz) dried rigatoni pasta See Note 1
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large brown/yellow onion - roughly chopped
- 2 ribs celery - roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot - washed and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) lean ground beef mince
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste See Notes 2 and 3
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves - finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves - finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli pepper flakes
- 800 g (28 oz) tinned crushed tomatoes See Note 4
- ½ cup (125 ml) water - I rinse out the tomato cans
- 1 piece Parmesan rind - about 7 ½ cm/3 inches See Note 5
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) heavy whipping/thickened cream See Note 6
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste See Note 7
- 1 cup (250 ml) pasta water - reserve before draining pasta - you may not need to use it all See Note 8
For Serving:
- Parmesan cheese - freshly grated
- ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves - finely chopped
Instructions
- Put a large pot of water on to boil and generously salt once boiling.
- In a small food processor, add the onion, celery and carrot and process until smooth.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the pureed vegetables and a ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring to ensure the mixture doesn't stick. Add in the garlic and cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the beef mince and break it up using the wooden spoon. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Create a hot spot by pushing the vegetables and meat to the side. Add in the tomato paste, and cook for 1-2 minutes before mixing in.Add the canned tomatoes, water, herbs and Parmesan rind.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. By this time, the sauce should be rich and have reduced. Turn the sauce down to low.
- When your sauce is close to being ready, cook your pasta until just al dente. Before draining, reserve a cup of pasta water.
- Remove the Parmesan rind and discard. Add the cream to the sauce and stir through.
- Add your pasta to the sauce along with the pasta water as needed. Check that the seasoning is to your liking.
- Serve with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese and finely chopped fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- Pasta: I like a short tubular pasta, such as rigatoni, penne or ziti, as they catch the sauce. However, you could certainly use a longer pasta such as spaghetti or fettuccine if you prefer.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons). For readers located elsewhere in the world, please use 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon for each listed tablespoon.
- Tomato paste: this is a thick, concentrated paste; it accentuates the tomato flavour.
- Canned tomatoes: you can use diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes that you crush yourself. To avoid waste, we use a small amount of water to rinse out the tomato that remains in the cans.
- Parmesan rind: never discard your rind, it adds flavour to so many dishes. They can be stored in the freezer in a small ziplock bag.
- Cream: for a creamy texture and best flavour, use full-fat cream. Thickened/heavy whipping cream should have a minimum 35% fat content.
- Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking - we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour. Add more red chilli pepper flakes if you like the heat.
- Pasta water: before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. The starchy water helps emulsify the sauce and thin it out if necessary. You may not need all of the pasta water.
- Make this gluten-free: simply use a good quality gluten-free pasta. Gluten-free pasta absorbs more moisture than regular pasta, so you may find you need to add plenty of pasta water.
- Storage: leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.
- Reheating: the pasta can be reheated in the microwave or gently in a frying pan. You may need to add a small amount of water.
- Freezing: store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two months.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
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