Ricotta Pasta with Beef
If you're looking for an easy dinner that can be whipped up in 20 minutes, try this creamy, cheesy ricotta pasta with beef - AKA homemade rigatoni beef!
Ricotta Pasta with Beef
I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! I enjoyed our first Christmas as a married couple.
I made traditional Mexican tamales all on my own for the first time - a lot of work, but worth the results!
After everything that goes into the holiday preparations, I need a little cooking break while I think about what to make for the New Year's feast.
Enter: ricotta pasta with beef (homemade rigatoni beef).
When my husband proposed to me, he made a romantic dinner from scratch, complete with Beef and Cheese Manicotti.
Since he's not the recipe-following type of cook, it was special indeed.
We still make that manicotti for special occasions, but on a regular night when we want dinner fast, I whip up this skillet ricotta pasta with beef which is very similar.
It only takes 20 minutes to make, and it's almost a one-pan meal, but the pasta is boiled separately.
I also like to throw in whatever leftover vegetables I have on hand - spinach, carrots, etc.
Not only is it a great way to clean out the fridge, but a tasty way to sneak in more veggies.
Give me all the ricotta cheese pasta recipes because this cheese is magical!
This pasta is creamy and cheesy without being too rich.
If you like extra cheese, feel free to throw in some shredded mozzarella.
I reserve some of the ricotta to melt on top for a pop of cheesy flavor.
I like to use hearty rigatoni pasta in this recipe, but any noodle will do!
Side note: ricotta is not just for savory recipes, it's great in desserts too!
Check out these other recipes using ricotta cheese like Lemon Ricotta Sandwich Cookies, Ricotta French Toast and Chocolate Ricotta Mousse!
PIN THIS TO YOUR DINNER BOARD!
Ricotta Pasta with Beef
If you're looking for an easy dinner that can be whipped up in 20 minutes, try this creamy, cheesy ricotta pasta with beef!
Ingredients
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta (or pasta of your choice)
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ large onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Dash of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 jar (24 ounces) of marinara or spaghetti sauce
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese (reserve a few teaspoons for topping, if desired)
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package instructions and drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, brown beef and onion over medium high heat until beef is no longer pink. Drain excess grease if necessary.
- Season meat with salt, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes.
- Stir in pasta sauce and ricotta cheese and bring to simmer. Add pasta and combine thoroughly.
- Top with reserved ricotta cheese (if desired) and serve with grated parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 356Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 501mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 24g
Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results.
Cooked this tonight. Didn't have an onion but didn't need it. Used riccioli pasta. Added a couple different cheeses to the sauce. Turned out great!!!
I have some meat sauce I made for lasagna but no noodles. I was looking for a recipe that would use ricotta and meat sauce and this looks like it will work very well. I'm going to try it tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion.
It will be delicious!
Greatly delicious and quick and easy to whip up, thank you. I gave it a vegetarian spin with 2 pounds of Rigatoni Pasta mixed with Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil and Sea Salt. I sauteed in Olive Oil, 8 ounces of Onion, 4 Garlic Cloves, Beyond Meat Plant-Based Beefy Crumbles 10 oz, Italian Diced Tomatoes with Basil and Oregano, 14.5 Oz can, Classico Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce, 24 oz. Jar, I used Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce instead of Red Pepper Flakes, 15 ounces of Ricotta Cheese, and topped it with Grated Parmesan Cheese, for serving. Buonissimo, Delizioso!
Tried this recipe it was delicious and fast to make
Sounds fabulous!! I am going to try this tonight, served over spaghetti squash! ( I am gluten free).
Ooh love spaghetti squash!
Super easy, super yummy, and super kid approved!
This looks absolutely amazing. Cant take my eyes off it
Thank you, Fa, that means a lot! I just started experimenting with back-lighting my photos 🙂