Garlic Butter Pasta With Beef (Printable)
Savory ground beef and tender pasta in a rich garlic butter sauce with Parmesan. Ready in 30 minutes.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz spaghetti, fettuccine, or penne pasta
→ 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 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
08 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
→ Finish & Garnish
09 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
11 - Salt and pepper to taste
# How To Make It:
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.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef seasoned with salt and black pepper. Cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until fully browned and no pink remains. Drain excess fat and transfer beef to a plate.
03 - In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté for approximately 1 minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Avoid browning the garlic.
04 - Return the browned ground beef to the skillet. Add the drained pasta and toss to coat evenly. Gradually incorporate reserved pasta water, a splash at a time, until the sauce clings to every strand.
05 - Sprinkle 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 from heat. Top with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately while hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It comes together faster than delivery and tastes like you spent twice as long.
- The garlic butter sauce clings to every strand of pasta in a way that makes seconds unavoidable.
02 -
- If the garlic even hints at turning dark brown, pull the pan off the heat immediately because burnt garlic will make the whole dish bitter.
- Adding the pasta water gradually rather than all at once gives you control over how loose or clinging the sauce becomes.
03 -
- Reserve more pasta water than you think you need, you can always add more but you cannot create it once the pot is empty.
- Letting the beef sit undisturbed for the first minute in the pan creates a caramelized crust that stirring too early robs you of.