Easy Ground Beef Macaroni Recipe (碎牛肉通心粉)
One of my go-to pasta dishes for a quick weeknight dinner combines ground beef with macaroni and preferably lots of cheese! This dish is family-friendly and so easy to eat - kids can devour their plates in spoonfuls!
Ingredients
- 9 oz elbow macaroni cooked 1 minute shy of package instructions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz ground beef seasoned with salt & pepper to taste
- half a medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1½ cup beef stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning or to taste
- 8 cracks black pepper or to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- corn starch slurry (1 tbsp corn starch mixed with 1 tbsp beef stock)
- Handful(s) of shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil on a nonstick pan/skillet or Dutch oven on medium-high heat.
- Transfer ground beef into the pan, then cook until browned while breaking the beef into smaller pieces. Drain excess fat/liquid and set the beef aside.
- In the same pan, heat another tbsp of oil. Add onion and garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the tomato sauce and beef stock and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and allow the sauce to simmer, then add salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper and heavy cream.
- Stir until ingredients are well blended and sauce is heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.
- Gradually add corn starch slurry into the sauce, while stirring, to avoid any clumps from forming.
- When the sauce is thickened, add the cooked elbow macaroni and beef and allow entire dish to heat through for 1-2 minutes.
- Top the dish off with a handful of shredded cheese. Stir the cheese in or allow it to melt and enjoy!