Do you have 30 minutes to make dinner? Good, then that means you have time to make this creamy pasta dish, made using lean ground beef, frozen peas, and dried pasta. And you know what? It’s gonna be the yummiest 30 minutes you’ve ever spent. And, you won’t have to spend hours in the kitchen washing dishes afterward, being given the death-stare by your bored, neglected, rebellious cat who insists on sitting on the forbidden dining room table just to piss you off, because this is a one-pot recipe. Even better, right?
You’re actually going to be surprised how fast 30 minutes can fly by. Trust me on this, I timed myself to make sure that this recipe was possible in the given time frame. I actually even had a minute or two to spare by the end. The trick is to multi-task and not get side-tracked with screaming at your kitty to get down off the table for what seems like the millionth time. In between stirring the pot to ensure that nothing sticks or burns, take a minute to dice the onion and shred the cheddar cheese.
This is also a recipe that you can easily play around with to suit your own family’s likes and dislikes. Don’t like peas? Toss in a different frozen vegetable instead. Like things a bit spicy? Add some hot sauce, chipotle, or crushed red pepper flakes. Not a huge fan of ground beef? Use chicken instead and swap out the beef stock for chicken stock. Don’t have fresh chives? Use another fresh herb instead, or even some dried herbs in the sauce. Sounds too good to be true, right? Thankfully, it’s not. Now, if only getting the kitty to get down off the table was just as easy.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 1/2 Pounds 90% Lean Ground Beef
- 1 Small Red Onion, Finely Diced
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1 (32-oz.) Carton Beef Stock
- 2 Cups Whole Milk
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
- 1 (16-oz.) Bag or Box of Dried Pasta
- 1 (13-oz.) Bag Frozen Baby Sweet Peas
- 1 (8-oz.) Block Mild Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
- Freshly Chopped Chives & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Directions:
- Place the butter into a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Cook for 2 minutes, or until melted.
- When the butter is melted, add the ground beef and use a wooden spoon to break it down. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the onion, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Stir to combine and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the ground beef is lightly browned and the onion has softened.
- Add the stock, milk, whipping cream, mustard, and pasta. Stir to combine and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the frozen peas, and continue to cook for 8 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through, stirring often.
- Add the shredded cheese and stir just until melted.
- Serve garnished with freshly chopped chives and freshly ground black pepper.
Suggestions:
- I suggest using a smaller-sized pasta for this recipe so that it will cook faster. I used a small rigatoni, which took a little bit longer to cook than macaroni or small penne would in this same recipe. You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on how small or how big your pasta is.
- Make sure to stir often. Remember, you are cooking on high heat throughout this recipe and you don’t want anything to burn.
- You can garnish this pasta with any type of fresh herbs you may happen to have on hand. I chose chives because I always have some growing on my back deck. Feel free to add dried herbs in the actual pasta sauce if you don’t have fresh herbs handy.
- You may need to add additional salt to this recipe. It will depend on how much sodium is in your beef stock and how salty you like your food. It’s best to add it at the end to ensure that you don’t add too much.
Improvements:
- Serve topped with store-bought Crispy Fried Onions.
- Replace the ground beef in this recipe with ground pork, chicken, or turkey.
- For extra heat, add some hot sauce.
- Replace the peas in this recipe with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 1/2 Pounds 90% Lean Ground Beef
- 1 Small Red Onion, Finely Diced
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1 (32-oz.) Carton Beef Stock
- 2 Cups Whole Milk
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
- 1 (16-oz.) Bag or Box of Dried Pasta
- 1 (13-oz.) Bag Frozen Baby Sweet Peas
- 1 (8-oz.) Block Mild Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
- Freshly Chopped Chives & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Directions:
- Place the butter into a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Cook for 2 minutes, or until melted.
- When the butter is melted, add the ground beef and use a wooden spoon to break it down. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the onion, salt, garlic powder, pepper, and paprika. Stir to combine and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the ground beef is lightly browned and the onion has softened.
- Add the stock, milk, whipping cream, mustard, and pasta. Stir to combine and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the frozen peas, and continue to cook for 8 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through, stirring often.
- Add the shredded cheese and stir just until melted.
- Serve garnished with freshly chopped chives and freshly ground black pepper.
PIN THIS RECIPE
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Make sure to check out all of the other great Fantastical Food Fight “30-Minute Meals” recipes below.
