One Pot Beef and Bowtie Pasta is that super simple, weeknight pasta that everybody loves! It starts with a pound of ground beef, a good amount of veggies blended right in like kale, onions and garlic, and finished with a creamy tomato sauce, bursting with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese! Customizable and so easy, a welcomed variation to spaghetti night!
- Garden Kale and Fresh Basil - This recipe was inspired by the need for back-to-school, easy dinners, when lots of kale and basil in my garden were still needing to be used!
- Rustic Simple Flavors - As familiar as spaghetti night, but the quick, all in one pot version that doesn't need to simmer all afternoon! We love this simple pasta night with a big green salad and crusty garlic bread!
- Love Easy Pasta nights? Try this similar Spicy Rigatoni with Meat Sauce or this One Pot Baked Tortellini! And check out these 50 Fall Dinner Recipes for lots of weeknight meal ideas!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Pantry staples and a few fresh ingredients make this ground beef pasta recipe easy to pull together without much planning!
- Ground Beef - A pound of ground beef keeps this recipe simple, an easy staple that you can pull from the freezer! You could also substitute ground bulk Italian sausage.
- Onions and Garlic - For big Italian flavor, they're the base of your tomato sauce.
- Kale - Overflowing in my garden when I created this recipe, kale is such an easy vegetable to blend into a red tomato sauce. It adds nutrition while even your non-kale lovers probably won't really notice it!
- Crushed Tomato - A pantry staple for quick sauce making, you can also use homemade sauce from the garden that you have frozen like this Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce.
- Farfalle Pasta (Bowtie) - Short pasta is great for this one-pot style recipe as it cooks up quickly right in the sauce! You could use another shape like orecchiette, rigatoni, or rotini, but you may need to adjust the cooking times.
- Heavy Cream - Finishing the sauce with a little cream ties everything together with a velvety rich texture.
- Basil and Parmesan Cheese - Plenty of fresh basil and Parmesan cheese are more than just garnishes, they add huge flavor!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This recipe is quick, easy and all in one pot! Make the sauce and then the pasta simmers away, absorbing flavor until it's ready to eat!
Step 1 - Use a large deep skillet, enough to cook the pasta in and hold the entire dish.
Brown the ground beef with the onions, seasoned with salt and pepper.
Step 2 - Wash the kale well, especially if it's from the garden. Pull the leaves from the stems, bundle it into a tight pile and chop it into thin slices, then smaller pieces.
Mince the garlic.
Step 3 - Cook the ground beef until it is fully browned, crispy and caramelized.
Here you can drain the fat if there is excess, but I usually just leave it.
Step 4 - Add the kale, garlic and dried herbs and stir well until fragrant.
Step 5 - Add the canned tomatoes, water (rinsing the can into the sauce) and dry pasta. Give it a good stir to incorporate.
Cover and simmer, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 6 - Taste a noodle to check when it's done. Add the cream, chopped basil and Parmesan cheese.
Stir everything another couple minutes to finish.
Step 7 - Serve with more Parmesan cheese and extra basil leaves to garnish.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Stir often and Don't Overcook - When your one-pot pasta is simmering, check it often and give it a good stir. This ensures the pasta cooks evenly and isn't sticking to the bottom. It will absorb the watery sauce, thickening as it cooks. Taste the pasta until it is just al dente, with a little bite to it and not mushy or overcooked.
- Add Some Spice! - When adding the garlic, a fun variation is to add a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes if you like things a bit spicy!
- What to Serve it With - A big salad and crusty garlic bread are always a favorite with pasta night! Try this Italian Mixed Greens Salad with Crispy Prosciutto or this simple Spinach Arugula Salad!
- Storage - Leftover pasta can be stored in the fridge and reheated within 3 days. Leftover pasta can be a bit dry, add a splash of water, milk or cream before reheating to loosen it back up.
Recipe FAQs
The ground beef could be swapped with ground Italian sausage, or cooked sausage links, especially if you have leftovers on hand! You could also make this dish topped with sautéed shrimp (cooked separately).
The kale can easily be omitted or swapped with fresh spinach. When the ground beef is about half way cooked, you could also add sliced mushrooms, red bell peppers, or zucchini for more variations. Or add a handful of cherry tomatoes to the simmering sauce.
Yes! This is a pretty basic tomato meat sauce, and if you'd like to just make the sauce and pasta separately, you totally can. Just don't add the can of water to the sauce, which is needed to cook the one pot pasta. If cooking separate pasta, you can use any shape, including spaghetti or long pastas.
More Favorite Pasta Recipes!
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One Pot Beef and Bowtie Pasta
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Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion about ½ cup chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
- 3 to 5 leaves kale stems removed, about 1 cup chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 large can crushed tomato (28 ounces)
- 1 large can water rinse tomato from can into sauce
- 1 pound dry bowtie pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup fresh basil chopped
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded or grated
Instructions
- In a very large skillet or Dutch oven pot over medium high heat, add the ground beef and chopped onion and cook until browned. Break the beef up with a wooden spoon as you go, seasoning with salt and pepper, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Stir the beef occasionally but not too often so it can get caramelized and crispy, along with the onions. Wash the kale well and pull the leaves from the stems. Pile it into a tight bundle and thinly slice, then chop.
- Add the kale, dried seasoning, and garlic to the cooked beef. Stir for a minute until fragrant, lowering the heat to medium low.
- Add the crushed tomato and the water, rinsing the can into the sauce, and the dried pasta. Stir well so that the pasta is fully submerged in the liquid, COVER, and simmer at a gentle bubble until the pasta is al dente, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally, adjusting the temperature as needed. TASTE a noodle to decide when it's done!
- Add the cream, some Parmesan cheese, and lots of chopped fresh basil. Let it simmer and stir another minute and it's ready to serve, topped more basil leaves and with plenty of Parmesan cheese!
Notes
- Adding Veggies - The kale can be omitted or substituted with fresh spinach. You could also add sliced zucchini, mushrooms or red bell pepper when the beef is about halfway cooked through for different variation.
- Protein - Ground beef could be substituted with Italian sausage, bulk or links. The sauce could also be made vegetarian or topped with sautéed shrimp.
- Fresh and Dried Herbs - If you don't have dried Italian seasoning, use any combination of dried thyme, oregano or basil. Adding fresh herbs at the end is really delicious! The basil could be subbed with fresh oregano, thyme or rosemary for different flavors.
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