EASY Creamy Beefaroni

Easy weeknight CREAMY Beefaroni, the perfect weeknight meal for the family especially when you have to have dinner on the table quickly on a busy day. My mom used to make this for our family at least once a week back in the day. I remembered how much my sister and I loved Beefaroni night and I wanted to share with you! It’s very affordable, easy to prepare, and is done in the most 30 minutes! BUT, I added a little twist to make it CREAMY! Just add a block of cream cheese and it’s oh so divine!

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Melissa Jo

EASY Creamy Beefaroni

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Ingredients

  

• 1.25 lbs. of ground beef. I use ground chuck.
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 5-7 cloves of garlic minced
• Cracked black pepper and salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper
• 1 jar of Rao’s Marinara sauce
• 8 oz. of cream cheese
• about 1/4 cup of pasta water
• fresh basil for topping
• about 1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano grated Cheese for topping
• 1 lb. of large elbows pasta

Method

 

1. Add ground beef, chopped onion, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, and salt & pepper to a skillet with high sides. Cook on medium heat until the meat is almost cooked through and the onions and translucent.
2. In the meantime, boil the large elbows according to the directions on the back of the box to achieve al dente pasta.
3. Add the jar of Rao’s Marinara sauce to the ground beef once it’s browned all the way
4. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil; then lower to a medium low heat and simmer for 5 minutes
5. Add 1 block of cream cheese to the sauce and let it slowly disintegrate into the sauce for a few minutes. Then use a wooden spoon to break it up and stir it in for a couple minutes while simmering at a low heat.
6. Add the elbows and a ladle full of pasta water (about 1/4 cup) to the sauce and let the sauce simmer until creamy. (about 3-5 minutes)
7. Once you achieve the desired consistency add fresh basil and Pecorino Romano to the sauce and mix and simmer another couple minutes.
8. Serve it all up and enjoy!

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Notes

• Pasta Water! About a 1/4 of pasta water takes this dish from easy to dreamy! When your pasta is nearly finished boiling, grab a ladleful or so and add to the sauce until you get a creamy consistency. Allow the sauce to simmer at least 5 minutes with the pasta water on low.
  
• My favorite pan to cook with because it’s got high sides AND it goes stovetop to oven. I call him my old faithful: https://amzn.to/3UssB0e
• I use Pecorino Romano cheese for nearly all of my Italian dishes, but parmesan will work as well.
• Serve this dish up with a simple garden salad family style with Italian dressing and fresh bread.
  

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