Beef and Macaroni

Beef and Macaroni is a pasta dish made with seasoned ground beef and macaroni pasta cooked in a flavorful tomato-based sauce that’s made with simple ingredients. It’s a one-pot meal that’s easy, budget friendly, and will please the whole family.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword easy pasta dinners, ground beef recipes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 515kcal

Author Elizabeth

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Oil neutral (flavorless) oil with a high smoke point – we use canola oil
1 pound Ground Beef we use ground chuck 80/20 lean to fat ratio
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper optional, leave it out if you don’t like spicy
1 medium Onion finely diced
3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
2 14.5 ounce can Petite Diced Tomatoes, do not drain
1 (24 ounce) jar Meatless Pasta Sauce (marinara sauce or other meatless variety use your favorite brand)
2 cups Beef Broth
½ tablespoon Worcester Sauce substitute soy sauce if needed
12 ounces Elbow Macaroni
Shredded Cheese for serving optional

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pot, or deep, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper, if using.
Arrange the beef in one layer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir well, arrange in one layer again and cook an additional 1-3 minutes until browned.
Lower the heat to medium and add the onions, cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Next, add the garlic and tomato paste, cook for 1 minute, stir often.
Add the pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth and Worcester sauce to the pot while stirring and gently scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
Raise the heat to high and bring the sauce to a simmer. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for 10-12 minutes to let the flavors develop and come together.
Finally, add the macaroni to the pot, raise the heat to high and let the sauce come back to a simmer. Then, lower the heat to medium to medium-low to keep the sauce simmering, not boiling.
Cover the pot and cook the macaroni in the sauce for 12-15 minutes or until it is tender. Stir the macaroni often (especially in the beginning) because it tends to sink and will stick to the bottom of the pot.
Taste the macaroni and beef and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours.
Let the beef and macaroni sit in the pot for a few minutes before serving to give the macaroni noodles some time to soak up the tomato sauce. Serve with shredded cheese, or parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

If you do not have elbow macaroni substitute another small pasta shape. Other short tube pastas include, cavatappi, rigatoni, penne, and ziti.
Eliminate the crushed red pepper from the recipe if you do not like spicy food.
Use paprika instead of chili powder to make this dish even milder.
Use reduced sodium broth, canned tomatoes, and/or pasta sauce if you are sensitive to salt.
Lean ground turkey (not turkey breast) can be substituted for the ground beef and add chicken broth instead of beef.

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