Garlic Butter Beef Pasta (Printable Version)

Hearty pasta with seasoned ground beef in a rich garlic butter sauce, topped with Parmesan and fresh parsley.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz spaghetti, fettuccine, or penne pasta

→ Ground Beef

02 - 1 lb ground beef
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Garlic Butter Sauce

05 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
06 - 5 garlic cloves, minced
07 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
08 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

→ Finish & Garnish

09 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
11 - Salt and pepper to taste

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water before draining through a colander. Set drained pasta aside.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef seasoned with salt and black pepper. Cook, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon, until fully browned and no pink remains. Drain any excess rendered fat and transfer the beef to a plate.
03 - In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté for approximately 1 minute, stirring frequently, until the garlic becomes fragrant. Take care not to let the garlic brown or burn.
04 - Return the browned ground beef to the skillet with the garlic butter. Add the drained pasta and toss thoroughly to coat. Gradually incorporate small splashes of the reserved pasta water, stirring continuously, until the sauce reaches a silky consistency that clings to the noodles.
05 - Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the pasta and toss until melted and evenly distributed throughout. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
06 - Remove the skillet from heat. Scatter chopped fresh parsley over the top and serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It uses one skillet and one pot, which means cleanup is almost as fast as cooking.
  • The garlic butter sauce clings to every strand of pasta in a way that feels restaurant quality without any fancy technique.
02 -
  • Do not let the garlic brown in the butter, because burnt garlic turns bitter and will drag the whole sauce down with it.
  • The pasta water is not optional, as that starch is what transforms melted butter into an actual sauce that clings to the noodles.
03 -
  • Salt your pasta water until it tastes like the sea, because that is your one chance to season the noodles from the inside out.
  • Grate your own parmesan from a block rather than using the shelf stable kind in the green can, and the melt and flavor will be dramatically better.

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