Creamy Rotel pasta with ground beef! This simple weeknight pasta recipe is delicious and packed full of flavor. The whole dish comes together in 30 minutes, making it a perfect dinner for a busy weeknight.
Do you love meals with ground meat? Try my creamy ground beef pasta, Instant pot Korean ground beef, Ground chicken stir fry, and ground beef stir fry recipe.
Why you will love this recipe
- Quick, easy, and delicious weeknight dinner for a busy night if you want to enjoy a cozy delicious, homemade meal.
- Versatile: This recipe can be made as a one-pot meal or separately, i.e., the pasta is cooked separately and then added to the beef sauce. This is my preferred method.
- Economical: 10 ingredients or less, including salt and black pepper.
- Family friendly! A favorite with kids and adults alike
- It can be made ahead of time and reheated for leftovers.
- Super flavorful and creamy, with a little heat from the Rotel tomatoes and cajun seasoning. Don't worry, it is not overly spicy, and you can control it to your liking.
What you will need
Pasta: I used rigatoni, but you can use any other pasta paste of your choice.
Rotel: I used the mild rotel for its bold and spicy flavor. Substitute with the original version if you prefer
Lean ground beef: Substitute with ground turkey, chicken, veal or pork.
Heavy cream (double cream): substitute with half and half or cream cheese
Parmesan cheese
Cajun seasoning: I used a bought cajun seasoning that is not spicy.
Tomato paste
Olive oil
Onion: I used brown onion. Any type works fine as well.
Garlic: substitute with garlic powder, granules, or paste.
Salt and black pepper
Fresh parsley
How to make creamy Rotel pasta with ground beef
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add dried pasta, and boil until al dente. Reserve some pasta.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Add chopped onions and saute until soft and translucent. Add chopped garlic and saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.
Add ground beef, break it into the skillet, and brown the meat.
Pour Rotel into the browned beef, add tomato paste, cajun seasoning salt, and black pepper, and stir to combine.
Add pasta water and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Pour into the sauce the cream and pasta water (about half a cup) and stir to combine.
Add grated parmesan cheese and stir to combine until fully melted in the Rotel beef sauce.
Finally, add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Add more pasta water if need be.
Sprinkle chopped parsley on the pasta, take it off the heat and serve immediately. Enjoy with a side of homemade garlic bread and everyday salad!
Watch how to make it
How to store
You can store leftover rotel pasta can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To reheat, add a splash of water to aid reheating over the stovetop or in the microwave.
I do not recommend freezing this pasta as the texture might change when you reheat it due to the added cream.
More quick and easy pasta recipe
Rotel Pasta With Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 225 g pasta I used rigatoni
- 283 g Rotel
- 450 g lean ground beef
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add dried pasta, and boil until al dente. Reserve some pasta, then drain and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add chopped onions and saute until soft and translucent. Add chopped garlic and saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.
- Add ground beef, break it into the skillet, and brown the meat.
- Pour Rotel into the browned beef, add tomato paste, cajun seasoning salt, and black pepper, and stir to combine and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- Pour into the sauce the cream and pasta water (about half a cup) and stir to combine.
- Add grated parmesan cheese and stir to combine until fully melted in the Rotel beef sauce.
- Finally, add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Add more pasta water if need be.
- Sprinkle chopped parsley on the pasta, take it off the heat and serve immediately. Enjoy with a side of homemade garlic bread and everyday salad!
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
And there you have it, a simple and delicious pasta recipe you can make at home in 30 minutes. As always, if you made this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Kindly rate the recipe 5 star and leave me feedback in the comment section below. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save it away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox.
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