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A plate of macaroni pasta with a creamy, tomato-based meat sauce, garnished with fresh basil leaves, served on a decorative plate with vegetable illustrations, on a wooden surface.

EASY Creamy Beefaroni

Melissa Jo
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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

Instructions
 

  • 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.
  • In the meantime, boil the large elbows according to the directions on the back of the box to achieve al dente pasta.
  • Add the jar of Rao's Marinara sauce to the ground beef once it's browned all the way
  • Bring the contents of the pan to a boil; then lower to a medium low heat and simmer for 5 minutes
  • 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.
  • 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)
  • Once you achieve the desired consistency add fresh basil and Pecorino Romano to the sauce and mix and simmer another couple minutes.
  • Serve it all up and enjoy!

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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