I have never fully understood the “Hamburger Helper” thing because it’s incredibly simple to take some pasta, a pound of ground beef, a few seasonings you have in your pantry anyway, and create something similar yourself. You don’t need a box mix to “help” you. It’s just as quick and much more delicious to make your own. Case in point, this Garlic Butter Beef Pasta. It comes together in a single pot in less than thirty minutes. Easy, right? It’s also oh so creamy and garlicky and comforting… And that kind of flavor? You can’t get that out of a box.
What Ingredients Are in Garlic Butter Beef Pasta?
It’s not a long list and a lot of it you might already have on hand. You’ll need:
- Butter. Obviously.
- Ground beef. (Lean works well here.)
- Fresh garlic.
- Onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
- Chicken broth. (Beef is fine too.)
- Heavy cream.
- Parmesan cheese.
- Linguine or fettuccine. (Or really any pasta you like!)
How Do You Make Garlic Butter Beef Pasta?
It really couldn’t be easier. This is a one-pot operation and the kind of thing I make on hectic weeknights when I don’t have time to think or cook. It still always satisfies. To make it:
You start by browning the ground beef in the butter. I know, I know. Trust me. It adds SO much flavor and helps to get some nice color on the beef. Then add the fresh garlic just long enough that it gets fragrant. Onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning go in next.
Yes, there’s fresh garlic and garlic powder. The reason is that we really want a nice robust garlic flavor here and those two things have different garlic flavors to them. It rounds things out nicely when you double up. (Especially if you love garlic, which I very much do!)
Add the chicken broth, cream, and pasta and stir things around to submerge the pasta in the liquid. If you’re using a longer noodle, you can break them in half first to help that along. (Sacrilege, I know.)
Bring everything to a simmer, but keep it low so you don’t break the cream. Cover and cook on low until the pasta becomes al dente and absorbs most of the liquid. (Check on it occasionally. If things are running dry, add a touch more broth or water.)
Stir in that parm, give it some salt and pepper, and dinner is done! How easy was that?
How Does it Taste?
It’s truly delicious. I was making this recently and a couple of people saw the creamy appearance and assumed it would taste like stroganoff, but it doesn’t. It IS creamy, but it’s much more garlic forward and you can really taste the butter too. Quick and easy can always be tasty too!
Garlic Butter Beef Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 lb ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 8 oz linguine or fettuccine
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and brown the beef, breaking it apart as it cooks. Drain fat, if needed.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
- Stir in onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
- Add chicken broth, cream, and pasta, stirring to submerge the pasta in the liquid. Bring to a low simmer, then cover and cook on low until pasta is tender and most liquid has absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Check every so often to make sure there is enough liquid. Add more chicken broth or water as needed.
- Stir in parmesan cheese, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve with fresh parsley and additional parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Grandma Recipes Flash.