Beef pasta cooked in a sugary garlic tomato creamy sauce with Italian seasoning. An easy homemade comfort food that's also single pot cooking!
Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta One Pot
One-pot pasta recipes are quite selective. Today's my only use case for it is saucy pastas. With less saucy pastas such as Puttanesca or pesto pasta, it just doesn't work properly, because there is not enough liquid to really cook the pasta thoroughly.
So any one pot pasta recipe you'll find on my blog is oozing with sauce, because there ya have it, therefore.
Never has anyone complained, I've never heard of it. Everybody loves sauce! 🙂
Today I am sharing a creamy tomato sauce beef pasta. That's basically a Bolognese with Italian seasonings and a cupboard stainless steel full of cream. Total crowd pleaser!
This One Pot Beef Pasta Ingredients
This all came after my one pot pasta sauciness post (nothing will surprise you when you see the name) the cardinal rule of cooking one pot pasta recipes is to ensure the pasta requires liquid to absorb it and so much of it! Liquid picked up by cooked dried pasta is two and a half times that amount. Today we use 4 cups of stock and 1 can of tomato for 360g/12ozs of pasta.
- Beef mince: I used 90% lean beef mince (ground beef), but any fat % will be just fine. Most people use 80/20. The fattier the beef, the beefier the flavor.
- Chicken stock/broth: The cooking liquid of choice. Tastier than water!
- Pasta: I used spirals (fusilli) but other similar sized short pasta will also do just fine.
- Cream: 3/4 cup, stirred in at the very end turns a regular tomato sauce into a creamy tomato sauce.
- Garlic and onion: Essential flavor base.
- Canned tomato: Adds extra tomato flavor and slightly thickens the sauce.
- Italian herbs: For seasoning! Use a store-bought mix or a combination of oregano, basil, and parsley.
- Red pepper flakes: Optional, for a tiny bit of warmth.
1 Pot Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta Recipe
- Sauté the garlic and onion, then cook the beef until it's no longer red.
- Add Italian herbs and cook for 30 seconds to toast the seasoning.
- Add tomato paste and stir for a minute.
- Pour in stock, canned tomato, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir well, then add the pasta.
- Bring liquid to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until pasta is just cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Stir in cream and simmer for another minute.
- Remove from stove, give a good stir, and ladle into bowls.
- Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley if desired, and enjoy!
As you pull that sucker off the stove, don't worry how saucy it is... that's what you want. Pasta absorbs liquid quickly, so by the time you serve it, it will have gone from just a little too soupy to the perfect level of ooziness.
If you look above, you know pasta is pretty good at absorbing liquid, which means it'll go from just too soupy to a beautiful oozy perfection you won't be able to resist in the time between pulling it off the stove and eating it. But in either case, saucier is to dry as wet is to dry. No one wants a mound of gluey, stodgy pasta!!!
YUM. That is 100% me in that food. It's not fancy. It's fuss-free to make. It's hearty and cozy and easy, and rustic, and full of flavor.
Beef pasta cooked in a sugary garlic tomato creamy sauce with Italian seasoning. An easy homemade comfort food that's also single pot cooking!
Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta One Pot
One-pot pasta recipes are quite selective. Today's my only use case for it is saucy pastas. With less saucy pastas such as Puttanesca or pesto pasta, it just doesn't work properly, because there is not enough liquid to really cook the pasta thoroughly.
So any one pot pasta recipe you'll find on my blog is oozing with sauce, because there ya have it, therefore.
Never has anyone complained, I've never heard of it. Everybody loves sauce! 🙂
Today I am sharing a creamy tomato sauce beef pasta. That's basically a Bolognese with Italian seasonings and a cupboard stainless steel full of cream. Total crowd pleaser!
This One Pot Beef Pasta Ingredients
This all came after my one pot pasta sauciness post (nothing will surprise you when you see the name) the cardinal rule of cooking one pot pasta recipes is to ensure the pasta requires liquid to absorb it and so much of it! Liquid picked up by cooked dried pasta is two and a half times that amount. Today we use 4 cups of stock and 1 can of tomato for 360g/12ozs of pasta.
- Beef mince: I used 90% lean beef mince (ground beef), but any fat % will be just fine. Most people use 80/20. The fattier the beef, the beefier the flavor.
- Chicken stock/broth: The cooking liquid of choice. Tastier than water! If it's on sale, I stock up on the liquid cartons since I use them in my cooking all the time.
- Pasta: I used spirals (fusilli) but other similar sized short pasta will also do just fine. Don't use really small pastas like risoni or orzo.
- Cream: 3/4 cup, stirred in at the very end turns a regular tomato sauce into a creamy tomato sauce.
- Garlic and onion: Essential flavor base.
- Canned tomato: Adds extra tomato flavor and slightly thickens the sauce.
- Italian herbs: For seasoning! Use a store-bought mix or a combination of oregano, basil, and parsley.
- Red pepper flakes: Optional, for a tiny bit of warmth.
1 Pot Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta Recipe
- Sauté the garlic and onion, then cook the beef until it's no longer red.
- Add Italian herbs and cook for 30 seconds to toast the seasoning.
- Add tomato paste and stir for a minute.
- Pour in stock, canned tomato, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir well, then add the pasta.
- Bring liquid to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until pasta is just cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Stir in cream and simmer for another minute.
- Remove from stove, give a good stir, and ladle into bowls.
- Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley if desired, and enjoy!
As you pull that sucker off the stove, don't worry how saucy it is... that's what you want. Pasta absorbs liquid quickly, so by the time you serve it, it will have gone from just a little too soupy to the perfect level of ooziness.
YUM. That is 100% me in that food. It's not fancy. It's fuss-free to make. It's hearty and cozy and easy, and rustic, and full of flavor.
Without the chilli, it's the kind of tomato pasta you get everywhere, and boring.
"It's something else with the chilli!" - Nagi Maehashi from RecipeTin Eats, quoted in today's recipe video 🙂
Penne all'Arrabbiata
I'm not sure that any one-line description of today's recipe will travel beyond my corner of the internet. That is my articulate description of the greatness that is Penne all'Arrabbiata, but that is my take.
Interestingly simple with a good kick of chilli and a respectable level of garlic. The Italians know simple pastas when they see 'em!
"Arrabbiata" means "angry" in Italian. It's said that this pasta is inspired by its fiery nature!
But fear not. You know? This might be spicy pasta, but fundamentally it's a great tomato pasta, and you can absolutely make it as spicy as you want to. Or not. Easy to do, just make the sauce with less chilli at first. Simmer the required time and taste. If you're feeling bold, add more…
Penne all'Arrabbiata Ingredients
There are two types of arrabbiata sauce – the first one made with fresh chillies and the second with dried ones. Obviously, dried is more convenient but I really like the extra flavour fresh chilli adds to the sauce and have combined both. Two of my go-to Italian recipe sources also use fresh chillis, and you've used fresh chillis here too.
You can double up on either option too!
Chilli
- The larger the chilli, the less spicy they are! That means cayenne peppers aren't super spicy.
- I don't mind the extra zing of spiciness, which is mostly in the seeds. Just keep those in for an extra zing of spiciness. Either de-seed or leave the seeds in.
- Use fresh or dried chillies (as shown in the photo above — which is why I do fresh chillies and dried).
- Feel brave? Instead use Bird's Eye or Thai chillies! Cayenne peppers are milder than these and pack more spiciness.
- Dried red chillis – Warm earthiness is something fresh chillis do not hold. The toasty flavour and spiciness come out when it's sautéed with garlic.
Pasta Variety
Pasta is pretty easy to sub with most combinations working just fine. We traditionally used penne, but ziti is a very good replacement (penne with a smooth surface). And, really, you can use this with any short or long pasta.
Tomatoes
Whole peeled tomatoes (canned) and mash them up with a fork. Authentic recipes use canned crushed tomatoes. To make life easier on the fly, I use crushed tomatoes!
Sourness note: Not all canned tomatoes are the same! Sour economical brands are more common. With ½ teaspoon of sugar, take the edge off.
Other Ingredients
- Garlic – 3 cloves! When it comes to Arrabiata sauce, I like it to have a good garlicky flavour.
- Parmesan – For serving.
- Parsley – For optional garnish.
How to Make Arrabbiata Sauce
15 minutes has to be enough for this simple pasta sauce to begin to break down the tomatoes and allow the flavours to meld. Don't skip it – you're going to miss flavour!
- Finely mince cayenne pepper with the seeds in. (See further ingredient notes on seeds and spiciness)
- Cook garlic and chilli: Heat oil to medium and stir in garlic, cook for 10 seconds just so it's hot. Then add cayenne and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute once garlic is light golden.
- Simmer: Add tomato, salt, and pepper. Then rinse out the tomato cans with a little water and add that in as well. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes until thickened.
- Cook pasta: While your sauce cooks, cook the pasta according to packet directions in salted pasta cooking water. Just before draining, stir the pot big (to mix the starch* in your pasta) and then scoop 1 cup of the water away. Then drain the pasta.
- Add pasta: In the sauce with 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. Leave the pasta on the stove and toss continuously until the sauce coats and is no longer pooled in the bottom of the pot. If needed (usually, if you wait too long to drain the pasta water!!), use extra pasta cooking water to loosen.
- Serve: Dinnertime! If using, divide between bowls and serve immediately with parmesan and parsley.
* Cooking pasta with the starch in its water helps the pasta sauce 'glue' better to the pasta.
This is a cosy chicken risoni (orzo) that's a complete one pot meal: Creamy tomato parmesan sauce with swirls of spinach and pops of nutty chickpeas with juicy pan seared chicken breast, topped liberally with crispy salami bits. It's lengthy to describe the dish. The making part is not!
This: One pan creamy tomato chicken risoni with crispy salami
There was a stick of salami left in the refrigerator and I was looking at it and I was like, Alright, I'll just make something with this. Yes, I ended up going to the grocery store for the chicken and baby spinach and risoni, but that's not the point! She declares insistently 😂
It's that I always feel like salami is an undersung cooking ingredient and I wanted to incorporate it into a dinner. If you take the time to think about it (and these are the sort of things I fall asleep dreaming about), it's got the same characteristics as bacon and chorizo: Fries up crispy and salty, and makes everything better. Bonus: Never letting you cook it for too long so it keeps on grilling and grilling and grilling until it doesn't spit fiery little bits of fat on your arms, I'm glaring at YOU, bacon!
You might say that today's recipe began with salami. They ended with a risoni in a creamy tomato and parmesan sauce with some spinach and nutty pops of chickpeas then stirred through and finished with some juicy seasoned chicken slices.
Its very cosy, very easy, very delicious and very much a crowd pleaser, everyone will love.
One Pan Chicken Risoni, What you need
All you need to make today's chicken risoni is…
SEASONED CHICKEN
The warm red tinge also from this combination of spices but it really adds a nice savoury flavour to the chicken too. If you don't happen to have sage, just leave it out. I know it's not a pantry staple for most people either, but if you have made my homemade pork sausage patties you'd find it hidden in the dark spaces of your pantry (or homemade Sausage and Egg McMuffins, the pork seasoning mix, chicken burger, etc.)
THE CREAMY TOMATO RISONI
- The star of the show is the salami we fry golden and crispy and use the fat that renders out to cook the chicken and the risoni sauce. Win, win, win!
- Orzo, aka Risoni – Small rice shaped pasta. Find it in the pasta aisle. What I like about it is that it's small, meaning it cooks quickly, and I don't have to rest it after cooking like rice and it's easier to use in one pot dishes than larger pastas. For this, you'll need 250g (8oz — half of a normal 500g (1lb) packet). Now use the other half for any of our risoni/orzo recipes!
- I added chickpeas on a whim to add some textural interest and some lovely nutty flavour. And it's got more nutritional value in it – more fibre, more protein (depending on the type of bean) and it's low GI anyway – no effort to open a can, so why not? 😉You can also sub with other beans or just not use any at all.
- The risoni cooking liquid – else the sauce and risoni is bland. There's also vegetable stock that works well. I use store bought, but as long as you've got that homemade chicken or vegetable stock I will beam with pride.
- Just 1 ½ cups of flour and we stir in 3/4 of a cup of cream at the end to give it a creamy taste. We're not relying on the cream to thicken the sauce (the starch in the risoni does this for us), so use low fat cream or evaporated milk if you like.
- This adds a hit of savourey flavour into the sauce. It doesn't make it cheesy.
- Baby spinach or kale – Good for stirring into the end. Our veg quota!
- Aromatic flavour base: garlic and onion.
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
If you have these, they are some optional extras to include to the recipe: You don't have to make a special trip to the store. Explanation below!
I added these in the first time I made this risoni because I had them and they needed using up: A few limp stems of basil, an aging jar of sun dried tomatoes and wine (well this was always going to be used up – in cooking or otherwise). Deglazing the pan with wine, sun dried tomatoes in risoni, a dash of basil to sprinkle.
The second time, I didn't have them and the dish was still super, super delicious.
Don't get me wrong, none of them add any more to the dish than they already do, but they are optional extras. It's not as if you have to go out very specially to buy them. If you've got them, just use them!
How to make one pan chicken risoni
Heads up: Fried up salami in a recipe isn't anything new...or anything new, really! I'm going to guarantee you try it once and will be hooked too.
- Split each chicken breast in half horizontally, so there's 4 thin steaks altogether. Cooks throught more evenly (no dry outer band); thinner Sprinkle the spice mix and mix it together and then sprinkle the spice mix on each side of the chicken.
- Salami: crispy – First cook the salami until the crispy and golden. It takes about 2 – 3 minutes over medium high heat. Pour it into a paper towel lined bowl, separating the fat with a slotted spoon left in the pan. This we're going to use to cook the chicken – free flavour!
- Because you need to be able to submerge the risoni in the liquid to be cooked, the pan should be at least 26cm/10.5″ wide. I bake it in a 30cm/12″ non stick pan that is 7cm / 2.8″ deep. This is my Pyrolux one (Australian store, nor am I an affiliate link). I really like it because it has a lid too.
- In the same pan, cook the chicken for 3 minutes on each side until deep golden and cooked through; then sear chicken. It should read it's 67°C/153°F inside. Once it rests, it will rise to 71°C/160°F . Pluck the chicken to a plate and loosely throw foil over the top to remain warm.
- Still in the same pan (one pot cooking memory) sauté onion and garlic. Deglaze* the pan with the white wine (if using, it's optional) and simmer rapidly until almost evaporated.
- *So it's all about dissolving the tasty gold bits left on the base of 'pan' due to searing the chicken and salami into the wine. That's free flavour and will make our sauce taste better!
- Next, add everything else – Cook off the tomato paste for 1 minute to reduce some of the raw sour edge of it. Stir again to coat the risoni in the tomato paste, then toss with the stock, chickpeas, salt and pepper.
- Pull 1 hour ahead – Pull an hour ahead, then cook the risoni for 1 hour, covered, stirring well every 10 minutes. The first thing you do with the stove is put it on medium high and let the liquid simmer. As the stock is absorbed and the base thickens down, turn the heat to medium low so the bottom does not burn. Don't worry if yours is a little thick, it will loosen it up once the cream is added.
- Wilt spinach + cream + Parm cheese (if using sun dried tomatoes) + cream. Mix well until the spinach wilts. Ours should be beautifully oozy still.
- Cut – Chicken into thick slices and serve. Serve spooned into bowls, topped with chicken, crispy salami, a sprinkle of extra parmesan and basil (if you're using). Then dig in!
(The alternative option is to serve it help-yourself style on a big platter: Blend chicken, risoni, parmesan and basil), add some salami thrown in; put over a bed of risoni.
Yum. I love recipes like this. It might just have been something funny I made up one day, an unlikely combination of things (say, salami and risoni and chickpeas??).
Yum. I love recipes like this. Something I just made up on the fly one day, perhaps some unusual (salami + risoni+ chickpeas??) combination of things.
Big, bubbly One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta is filled with beef and tons of hidden vegetables, cooked in a Cajun flavoured tomato pasta sauce, topped with oozy cheese. It makes 7 to 8 and is great for leftovers!
A complete one pot meal with lots of hidden vegetables!
Here today with a sparkling new recipe I created with mid-week cooking in mind: This is a big, bubbling Cajun pasta made with beef and a surprising amount of hidden vegetables, so you can serve it as a complete meal. I think it's awfully economical (500g/1lb beef -> 7 to 8 servings), the flavours of beefy Cajun and smothered in oozy cheese.
We're using a good amount of Cajun spices in this recipe, so we can still pack in vegetables without the flavour of the dish seeming overwhelmed by it. I know you know exactly where I'm coming from!!
And that's a carrot, zucchini, capsicum (bell pepper) with 500g/1 lb beef, plus there's 800g/28 oz of canned tomato and an onion (both vegetables!) Not only do these vegetables allow you to serve all these vegetables and other veggies and other to serve more people and … stretch the dish to … for 7 or 8 people rather than like 4 or 5.
So much veg. Om nom nom nom nom nom — try to tell me you don't want to eat this!!
Cajun pasta… Not authentic, and that's OK!
If you aren't asking, no, Cajun pasta certainly isn't authentically Cajun. In fact, the Cajun usually uses rice. While Cajun spices combined with pasta becomes pretty popular in America, especially when it comes to being super tasty. I'm totally on board with it.
One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta ingredients
Using grated carrot and zucchini because it blends right in with the pasta sauce already and, yes being a Crimsonensiy sort of day for the Cajun flavours, add some chopped capsicum (bell pepper).
THE PASTA ADD-INS
- Beef (can use chicken, turkey, or pork, but adjust seasoning)
- Grated zucchini and carrot
- Chopped red capsicum (bell pepper)
- Onion and garlic
- Kidney beans
CAJUN PASTA SAUCE
- Crushed canned tomato (800g/28oz)
- Chicken stock/broth and water
- Tomato paste
- Homemade Cajun spice blend (or store-bought)
Homemade Cajun spice blend:
- Fresh thyme
- Sweet paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cayenne pepper (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Cheese
Colby or any melting cheese, optional parmesan
Simple One Pot Cajun Beef Pasta Recipe
Step 1
Grate the carrot and zucchini using a standard box grater.
Step 2
Cook onion and garlic, then add beef and cook until brown.
Step 3
Add carrot, zucchini, vegetables, and spices. Cook for a few minutes.
Step 4
Add canned tomato, water, chicken stock, and beans. Bring to simmer and add pasta.
Step 5
Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 6
Check pasta doneness. It should be almost cooked through.
Step 7
Sprinkle cheese on top.
Step 8
Cover and let stand for 3 minutes to melt the cheese.
Serve hot and enjoy! This pasta is great for leftovers and can be frozen for later use.
PS: The green onion sprinkle is optional, just for a touch of color.
For those interested, check out our Top 10 recipes we make at RecipeTin Meals for more make-ahead, freezer-friendly, wholesome, and economical meals.
Whipped Feta and Tomato Salad! Socca! HELLO. All summery, on one plate, creamy, tangy, and crispy.
Let's talk about Socca first. The origin of Socca is heavily debated between France and Italy (known as Farinata there) but one thing is certain: This crispy rich snacker of your dreams is made with just chickpea flour, olive oil, water, and salt—this simple street food is what you've been looking for.
And here is how you make this meal that isn't really a meal but also is everything a meal should be: pull your piping hot, freshly baked socca out of the cast iron, break it up into a few crispy chewy pieces, swish it through a tangy dollop of herby whipped feta and finish it with a scoop of juicy vinegary tomato and cucumber salad above all for a crunchy top.
I am so over this meal that isn't really a meal because that's how I want to eat in the summer time.
Or, if you're add chickpeas or roasted chicken? Do it.
I even want to eat right out of the food processor straight spoonfuls of whipped feta. You're not wrong.
I want to help you make the golden crunchy edges of that socca a part of your regular life routine. I support you.
This whole combo platter meal is low key, summerish and happened to be my favorite (healthyish) thing to eat. The variations are endless. Served it for Bjork's parents out on the deck the other night, they liked it. It works well for people because they make it what they want.
I know you can't even bring yourself to even open your oven now that you don't have to. And personal opinion, oven in the AC > grill outside. It is HOT out there.
Whip that feta, load up your socca, make it your own, go forth.
