Garlic Butter Beef Pasta (Print Version)
Comforting pasta tossed in rich garlic butter with savory ground beef for a quick weeknight dinner.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz spaghetti or fettuccine
→ Meats
02 - 1 lb ground beef (80/20 preferred)
→ Vegetables & Aromatics
03 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
→ Dairy
06 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
→ Pantry & Seasonings
08 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more for pasta water)
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
# Steps:
01 - Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon into bite-sized crumbles. Cook until thoroughly browned and no pink remains, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Drain any excess rendered fat if necessary.
03 - Add the finely chopped onion to the browned beef and sauté until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to let the garlic brown.
04 - Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the skillet, allowing it to melt gently while stirring to coat the beef and aromatics evenly in the rich garlic butter base.
05 - Transfer the drained pasta directly into the skillet. Toss vigorously to coat every strand in the garlic butter mixture. Splash in the reserved pasta water as needed, a little at a time, to create a silky, glossy sauce that clings to the pasta.
06 - Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Toss until the cheese melts and evenly coats the pasta. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference.
07 - Serve immediately while hot, garnished with additional Parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh parsley if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It takes exactly one pan and one pot, which means cleanup is almost nonexistent and that alone is worth celebrating.
- The garlic butter sauce comes together in the time it takes to drain the pasta, so everything stays hot and ready.
- It reheats beautifully the next day, assuming there are actually leftovers, which in my experience is a bold assumption.
02 -
- Do not drain all the fat from the beef after browning because a little left in the pan carries more flavor than any seasoning ever could.
- Adding the Parmesan off the heat prevents it from clumping or turning stringy, which is a mistake I made exactly once before learning better.
03 -
- Save more pasta water than you think you need because you cannot get it back once the pasta is drained and the moment has passed.
- Let the beef sit without stirring for the first two minutes of cooking because that contact with the hot pan creates the caramelized bits that carry the most flavor.