Rotini Pasta
This one pot rotini pasta recipe is a cheesy, meaty, and all-around comforting meal with fewer dishes! The simple ground beef and tomato sauce has Italian herbs and garlic.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt see note
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups uncooked rotini pasta
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- Pepper optional, to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil optional, for serving
Instructions
- Add the ground beef to a soup pot/Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook until just browned, breaking it up with your spoon as it cooks (about 7-8 minutes). Spoon out excess fat if needed.
- Stir in the tomato paste and garlic, and cook for about a minute.
- Stir in the onion powder, sugar, oregano, Italian seasoning, salt, and crushed red pepper.
- Add the beef broth and crushed tomatoes to the pot, and increase the heat to high.
- Once it's boiling, add in the rotini and cook for 12 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. You will need to turn the heat down at some point to maintain a constant simmer (medium or even medium-low) so it's bubbling steadily but not boiling like crazy.
- Turn the burner off (leave the pot on it). Sprinkle the mozzarella on top and close the lid for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and more of the liquid absorbs.
- Gently toss it so the mozzarella is stirred in, and season with pepper and some extra salt if needed. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan if desired.
Notes
- Troubleshooting tip: every pot/stove varies, so cooking times are a guideline and you may need to adjust as needed. If you find the pasta isn't quite cooked yet and the liquid is getting too low, add a splash more beef broth and/or turn the heat down. If there's still too much liquid at the end of suggested cooking time and/or the pasta isn't yet cooked, cook it for a little longer. The pasta will absorb more liquid the longer it sits.
- If you're using regular table salt vs. sea salt or kosher salt, you may want to add a bit less than suggested. If you're particularly sensitive to salt, you can add less than suggested, but be sure to add enough salt or this recipe will be bland.
Nutrition
Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 1418mg | Potassium: 1025mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 556IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 6mg
