Garlic Butter Beef Pasta (Printable)

Hearty pasta tossed in garlic butter with savory ground beef, ready in 30 minutes for a satisfying weeknight dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz spaghetti or fettuccine

→ Meats

02 - 1 lb ground beef (80/20 preferred)

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

03 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

→ Dairy

06 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

→ Pantry & Seasonings

08 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more for pasta water)
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

# How-To:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, and cook until thoroughly browned and no pink remains, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Drain any excess fat if necessary.
03 - Add the chopped onion to the browned beef and sauté until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the skillet, allowing it to melt while stirring to coat the beef and aromatics evenly in the rich garlic butter.
05 - Transfer the drained pasta directly into the skillet. Toss vigorously to coat every strand in the garlic butter mixture, adding splashes of the reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a silky, glossy sauce.
06 - Stir in the Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference.
07 - Serve immediately while hot, garnished with additional Parmesan and fresh parsley as desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The garlic butter sauce comes together in the same pan as the beef, which means every single bite carries that savory, infused flavor.
  • It genuinely takes thirty minutes from the moment you open the pantry to the moment you sit down with a steaming bowl.
  • Cleanup is minimal since the pasta finishes right in the skillet with everything else.
02 -
  • Do not skip reserving the pasta water, that starchy liquid is what turns butter and cheese into an actual sauce instead of a greasy puddle.
  • Adding the Parmesan off the heat prevents it from clumping or turning grainy in the hot skillet.
  • The dish thickens as it sits so serve it a touch looser than you think it should be.
03 -
  • Let the beef sit undisturbed in the skillet for the first two minutes to develop a real crust before you start breaking it up.
  • Grate the Parmesan as finely as you can because it melts into the sauce much more smoothly than coarse shreds.

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