One Pot Ground Beef Pasta

By Lucy Parissi

5 from 2 votes

, Updated Jul 07, 2025

Jump to Recipe

Looking for a quick and tasty dinner option? This One Pot Ground Beef Pasta recipe is sure to satisfy your cravings. With simple ingredients and minimal clean up, it’s a perfect weeknight meal!

One of my fave dishes when I was growing up was “makaronia me kima” which translates as pasta with meat sauce. My mum still makes it as our welcome meal whenever we visit Greece and my children devour it with the same enthusiasm I had as a kid 🙂

This simple ground beef pasta is basically the same recipe but instead of cooking the pasta separately you cook it right in the meat sauce. Genius, am I right?

This cuts down on the washing up (yay!) but also allows the pasta to soak up all the lovely flavors of the sauce. It’s a win-win whichever way you look at it: a delicious family meal cooked in one pan in under 30 minutes.

I have taken inspiration from my mom’s Greek spaghetti meat sauce and added a bit more spice to make this all-in-one dish truly scrumdelicious!

Ground Beef Pasta Ingredients

You will need a large lidded pot or pan for this recipe.

• Ground beef (a.k.a beef mince): I used 5% fat minced steak
• Onion and plenty of minced garlic
• Crushed tomatoes (chopped tomatoes in the UK): using the best quality canned tomatoes for this tomato sauce will make all the difference!
• Tomato paste (tomato purée)
• Ground cinnamon, sweet paprika, dried mint, garlic powder, salt and pepper
• Brown sugar: this is optional but I always add a pinch to my tomato based sauces
• Pasta: any uncooked dry pasta will work such as penne, rigatoni, trofie, gemelli can be used
• Beef stock cubes and boiling water or you can use broth
• Bay leaf
• Parmesan cheese and basil or parsley to serve
• Olive oil

How to Make One Pot Ground Beef Pasta

Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!

1. Combine the spices, herbs, sugar and seasoning. Crumble the stock cubes into a measuring and add boiling water, stirring well to dissolve.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the diced onion and half of the seasoning and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the onion is softened and slightly caramelized.

3. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant. Turn up the heat, add ground beef and remaining seasoning and break it up with the back of a wooden spoon. Brown the beef until nicely colored.

4. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the beef stock and bay leaf and bring to a rolling simmer.
5. Add the pasta, stirring well to submerge it in the sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for 12-14 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the pasta doesn’t stick. You might need to top up with hot water if the pan is looking a bit dry.

6. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Discard the bay leaf and stir in half of the grated Parmesan. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve with grated Parmesan cheese and perhaps a side of garlic bread!

Recipe Notes

• Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days. Reheat in the microwave or a saucepan, adding a little water to loosen the sauce if needed. This dish is not suitable for freezing.
• Serving suggestions: this one pot wonder stands on its own but you can certainly pair it with a Greek salad, crusty bread and a glass of red wine 🙂
• If you are not using lean ground beef, you may need to drain any fat the renders when you brown it.
• Add a splash of cream to this ground beef pasta just before serving for extra deliciousness!

Slimming World Tweaks

• Swap the ground beef: Use 5% fat (or less) lean ground beef to keep it syn-free. If using a higher fat mince, cook and drain off the excess fat before adding other ingredients. You can also use ground turkey instead.
• Watch out for the cheese: If you’re cooking for the whole family, sprinkle cheese over individual bowls instead of stirring it through the whole dish.
• Use whole wheat pasta: Pasta is allowed on SW, but whole wheat pasta adds extra fibre and helps keep you full longer. Avoid adding any oil or butter during cooking.
• Up the veg: Adding extra veggies will not only make this dish go the extra mile, it will add nutritional value and flavor. Consider stirring in mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, or squash. Dice them small and let them cook down into the sauce.
• Ditch the oil: Use a low-calorie cooking spray (like Frylight or olive oil spray) to control the amount of added fat.

Related Recipes

• Slow Cooker Bolognese
• Marry Me Chickpeas (One Pot Pasta)
• One Pot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
• Slow Cooker Pork Ragu

I hope this One-Pot Ground Beef Pasta recipe finds a regular spot in your dinner rotation — it’s cozy, quick, and always a crowd-pleaser! ❤️
If you try it, I’d love to hear what you think — leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it turned out!
📸 Sharing is caring: tag me on Instagram @supergolden88 or TikTok @supergoldenbakes — I love seeing your delicious creations come to life!

SaveSaved Pin Print

5 from 2 votes

One Pot Ground Beef Pasta

By Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes

Looking for a quick and tasty dinner option? This One Pot Ground Beef Pasta recipe is sure to satisfy your cravings. With simple ingredients and minimal clean up, it’s a perfect weeknight meal!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Save this recipe!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Name *

Save

Video

Equipment

• All in one pan
• Garlic Crusher
• Pul Biber

Ingredients

For the seasoning

• ▢ 2 tsp brown sugar
• ▢ 2 tsp dried mint or Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tsp sweet paprika or pul biber
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ ½ tsp ground black pepper

For the stock

• ▢ 960 ml (4 cups) boiling water * see note 1
• ▢ 2 small beef stock cubes

For the pasta and sauce

• ▢ 3 tbsp olive oil , or as needed
• ▢ 1 onion , finely chopped
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves , minced
• ▢ 500 g (1 lb 2oz) lean ground beef
• ▢ 400 g (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes (chopped tomatoes)
• ▢ 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ▢ 350 g (12 oz) pasta such as penne, rigatoni etc.
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 6 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan , divided
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped parsley or basil , to garnish

Instructions 

• Combine the spices, herbs, sugar and seasoning. Crumble the stock cubes into a measuring and add boiling water, stirring to dissolve.
  2 tsp brown sugar, 2 tsp dried mint , 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp sweet paprika , 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper, 960 ml (4 cups) boiling water, 2 small beef stock cubes
• Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the diced onion and half of the seasoning and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until the onion is softened and slightly caramelized.
  3 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion
• Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant. Turn up the heat, add ground beef and remaining seasoning and break it up with the back of a wooden spoon. Brown the beef until nicely colored.
  4 garlic cloves, 500 g (1 lb 2oz) lean ground beef
• Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the beef stock you prepared earlier and the bay leaf and bring to a rolling simmer.
  400 g (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 350 g (12 oz) pasta , 1 bay leaf
• Add the pasta, stirring well to submerge it in the sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for 12-14 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the pasta doesn’t stick. You might need to top up with hot water if the pan is looking a bit dry.
• Cook until the pasta is al dente. Discard the bay leaf and stir in half of the grated Parmesan. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed.
  6 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
• Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve with grated Parmesan cheese and perhaps a side of garlic bread!
  2 tbsp chopped parsley or basil

Notes

• Note 1: you can use canned low sodium chicken or beef broth if preferred.
• Note 2: stir in 80ml (1/3 cup) cream right before serving if you like a creamier sauce. Slimming-Friendly Tweaks
  • Swap the ground beef: Use 5% fat (or less) lean ground beef to keep it syn-free. If using a higher fat mince, cook and drain off the excess fat before adding other ingredients. You can also use ground turkey instead.
  • Watch out for the cheese: If you’re cooking for the whole family, sprinkle cheese over individual bowls instead of stirring it through the whole dish.
  • Use whole wheat pasta: Pasta is allowed on SW, but whole wheat pasta adds extra fibre and helps keep you full longer. Avoid adding any oil or butter during cooking.
  • Up the veg: Adding extra veggies will not only make this dish go the extra mile, it will add nutritional value and flavor. Consider stirring in mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, or squash. Dice them small and let them cook down into the sauce.
  • Ditch the oil: Use a low-calorie cooking spray (like Frylight or olive oil spray) to control the amount of added fat.

Nutrition

Calories: 681kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 1475mg | Potassium: 1114mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 674IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.

Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!