Skillet Pasta

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Skillet Pasta with ground beef sauce is a dinner idea that is easy to make. This pasta recipe only takes 30 minutes to make and your family will love it.

A white pasta bowl filled with a serving of Skillet pasta with ground beef sauce.

Quick and easy pasta recipes make for a delicious dinner when you are short on time but still want to enjoy a real meal.

This one pot pasta recipe is made with ground beef and only takes about 30 minutes to make.

The ground beef and sauce is cooked in one skillet in just a couple of steps.

You can get dinner on the table in a hurry when you make quick and easy skillet pasta.

Cooked pasta, raw ground beef and canned crushed tomatoes in individual bowls.

Skillet Pasta Ingredients

16 oz. lean ground beef
16 oz. box of pasta
1 cup finely shredded real parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
fresh parsley
fresh basil optional

Easy pasta recipe ingredients in individual bowls.

How to make Skillet Pasta with ground beef

Prep: Boil the pasta following the directions on the box. Drain well and run cold water over the noodles.

Cold pasta will not stick together. Once cool cover with plastic wrap or a pot lid to keep the pasta moist. Set it aside while you cook the meat and sauce.

Step 1: Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain well, wipe any grease from the skillet with paper towels.

Return the browned ground beef to the skillet and reduce the heat.

Step 2: Add the minced garlic to the skillet with the meat. Toss the beef and garlic together.

Adding minced garlic to the skillet with ground beef and sautéing until the garlic is soft.

Step 3: Add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and sugar to the skillet. Toss well to evenly combine the seasonings with the meat.

Seasoning browned ground beef in a skillet.

Step 4: Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan and toss with the meat and seasoning.

Adding a can of crushed tomatoes to the meat in the pan.

Step 5: Sprinkle ½ a cup of the shredded parmesan cheese over the sauce and mix in.

Adding shredded Parmesan cheese to the sauce.

Step 6: Place a lid on the pan and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes or until the sauce is hot, tossing occasionally.

Step 7: Add the pasta to the skillet, tossing it with the sauce until the pasta is covered in sauce.

Mixing cooked pasta noodles into hot pasta sauce in a pan.

Step 8: Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top, garnish with minced fresh parsley and fresh basil leaves before serving.

Parmesan cheese topped pasta in a stainless steel skillet.

Makes 6 servings. Garnish each serving with minced parsley and fresh basil if desired. Serve with a loaf of crusty Italian bread and a side salad.

A Skillet of pasta with sauce, garnished with parsley.

Recipe FAQ's

Do you drain ground beef for pasta?

Cooked ground beef should be drained before using in other ground beef recipes to remove the excess grease.

Recipe Expert Tips

You can make this quick homemade pasta recipe even faster when you start out with ground beef that has been browned ahead of time.
What kind of pasta? You can use any shape pasta you have on hand.
What kind of meat? You can use ground turkey, chicken or pork. You could also use precooked Italian sausage links.
Why add sugar to tomato sauce?: takes the acid down when cooking with tomatoes.
Parmesan cheese: if you have powdered parmesan you can use it but tread lightly. Powdered parmesan is very salty. I prefer using real parmesan cheese.
Vegetables: I also enjoy making a vegetarian pasta sauce by substituting cubed yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant and sweet peppers for the meat.