What I Love About Spaghetti Recipe With Ground Beef Recipe
My spaghetti recipe with ground beef contains all the essential components of every delectable Italian dish: a tomatoey sauce spiced up with oregano and basil, perfectly seasoned meat, and tender noodles. But what makes it extra special?.
- Only two pots: one for sauce, one for noodles!
- Easy clean-up
- Simmering flavor perfection
- Great for garlic bread dipping
- Crowd pleaser!
Easy Spaghetti Recipe Notes
Italian recipes are frequently foolproof, but if you want to ensure you get the best flavor punch, I’ve gathered some tips to make your ground beef spaghetti recipe a masterpiece!
- Beef: This recipe calls for 80/20 ground beef. What this means is the meat will be 80% beef and 20% fat Normally, I’d advise switching it out for a lower fat content (90/10, for example), but the high fat content is crucial to ensure that there is enough fat left in the pan to sear the vegetables and garlic. You won’t regret adding beef flavor, I promise!
- Spaghetti Meat Sauce: When cooking, it’s a good idea to add an ingredient prepared three different ways to get the most rounded flavor possible. Crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste are used to make this sauce, giving it the fresh bite, seasoned heartiness, and thick, concentrated flavor of tomatoes. Your tastebuds will sing!.
- I know I said oregano and basil were used to flavor this ground beef spaghetti recipe, but I can’t find them in the ingredients list; they must be in the Italian seasoning!
- Chili spice belongs to the same category as Italian seasoning, which is actually a blend of various herbs. Basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary can be found in Italian Seasoning, along with marjoram on occasion.
- There are hundreds of different types of noodles to try, and this dish is very variation-friendly, so don’t worry if you forgot to buy spaghetti noodles or just don’t want to use that particular pasta. Alternatively, you could avoid gluten by using spaghetti squash or my personal favorite, zucchini noodles!
No matter how precisely I measure my spaghetti, I always end up with enough to feed the entire city of Rome. If you, like me, finish dinner with heaps of leftovers, I’ve got a nice line up of storage tips to make sure none of your spaghetti recipe with ground beef goes to waste.
Can You Freeze This?
Yes, I advise freezing the sauce and meat combination separately and preparing fresh noodles for reheating the sauce. Why? Because freezing just the meat sauce without the noodles will result in a more than doubled freezer life.
Freezing noodles rapidly breaks down the structure of the pasta. Typical frozen spaghetti will last for up to two months while just the meat sauce will be good in an airtight container for up to six months. Plus, when you thaw the frozen noodles + sauce, your pasta will often be mushy — while the flavor will still be good, the texture is definitely not.
So if you intend to freeze it, keep the meat sauce separate!
This recipe does have a nice one-hour simmering window, which can be intimidating for those crazy nights. To cut that time, you can always follow the recipe through step three and refrigerate your sauce for up to four days. When you’re ready, reheat on the stove, adjust seasoning as needed, and cook up some pasta. Dinner, done!
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
I again recommend storing your sauce and noodles separately. By doing so, you can prevent the pasta from absorbing liquid and becoming overly mushy.
Both your meat sauce and noodles will store just fine in individual airtight containers for up to four days in the fridge.
There are countless Italian specialties, including ground beef spaghetti, if you’re looking for more, I’ve got you covered.
Can I Use Chicken Instead?
Chicken goes with everything, so it should come as no surprise that chicken spaghetti is delicious, especially when it’s topped with Rotel. Or if you want to feed a crowd, try chicken spaghetti casserole and serve up that oven-baked heartiness; there’s just something about that pop of savory flavor from the Rotel that sets this dish over the top!
Can I Add Meatballs?
Yes, indeed, my recipe for spaghetti and meatballs transforms the delicious flavors of the ground beef-based spaghetti into the most adorable, pillowy little meatballs of goodness. Alternatively, you could choose the quicker option, instant pot spaghetti and meatballs. There’s no wrong way to make it!.
Can I Add Cream Cheese?
If you want that rich, bold, creamy twist, baked spaghetti with cream cheese is the way to go. It is nothing short of a miracle thanks to the oven-baked magic and the enduring flavor and structure of cream cheese. You’ll be licking the plate!.
Can I Cook This In A Crockpot?
Crockpot spaghetti enhances the simmered flavors, really bringing out the best in the spices and tomatoes, and is the only way to make spaghetti taste heartier than baking it in the oven. Additionally, the noodles in that sauce do something wonderful; it’s an Italian miracle!
If you’re looking for something similar to this spaghetti recipe with ground beef, I suggest checking out these other recipes, which I always save a good portion of my recipe book for:
Spaghetti Recipe With Ground Beef
- ▢ 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 80/20
- ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- ▢ 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
- ▢ 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
- ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ▢ 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ▢ 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
- ▢ 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- ▢ 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ▢ 16 ounces spaghetti
- ▢ 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
- ▢ grated parmesan
- Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef to the pot, season with salt and pepper, break up into small pieces, and cook until just browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate.
- If there isn’t enough fat in the pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan and place over medium-low heat. Cook for about seven minutes after adding the onion, bell pepper, and garlic.
- Return the beef to the pot and then stir in the sugar, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes. After bringing sauce to a boil, immediately lower heat, cover, and simmer for one hour. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- Meanwhile cook spaghetti in well-salted water, according to package instructions. Drain well and toss with sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Pass grated Parmesan.
- Beef: This recipe calls for 80/20 ground beef. What this means is the meat will be 80% beef and 20% fat Normally, I’d advise switching it out for one with less fat (90/10, for example), but the high fat content is necessary to ensure that you have enough fat left over in the pan to sear your vegetables and garlic. You won’t regret adding beef flavor, I promise!
- Spaghetti Meat Sauce: When cooking, it’s a good idea to add an ingredient prepared three different ways to get the most rounded flavor possible. We used crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste to make this sauce, which will give you the tomato’s fresh bite, seasoned heartiness, and thick, concentrated flavor. Your tastebuds will sing!.
- I know I mentioned that the oregano and basil in this ground beef spaghetti recipe were flavors, but where are they in the ingredients list? They’re tucked away in the Italian Seasoning!
- Chili spice belongs to the same category as Italian seasoning, which is actually a blend of various herbs. Basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and occasionally even marjoram can be found in a few shakes of Italian seasoning.
- There are hundreds of different types of noodles to try, and this dish is very variation-friendly, so don’t worry if you forgot to buy spaghetti noodles or just don’t want to use that particular pasta. Alternatively, you could avoid gluten by using spaghetti squash or my personal favorite, zucchini noodles!
Easy Spaghetti And Ground Beef
FAQ
How much meat should you put in spaghetti?
You can use as much meat as you like, but it should work out best to use 1-2 pounds per large jar of sauce. Almost every time, I use 1 pound of meat.
Is 1 lb of ground beef enough for spaghetti?
But for the best results, use no more than 1-2 pounds of meat for each large jar of sauce. However, if you’ll ask for the precise recommendation, we advise 1 pound per 1 kilogram. 5 pounds of spaghetti sauce. This could be the typical proportion of spaghetti sauce to meat.
How much ground beef per person for spaghetti sauce?
When Meat Is Just Part of the Dish. Plan on 1/4 to 1/3 pound (four to six ounces) of meat per person if it is included in a larger dish like pasta or curry. This means that if you’re cooking for 20, you’ll need at least 5 pounds of meat and at least 2 1/2 pounds of meat if you’re having 10 people over for dinner.
How much beef do I need for a pound of spaghetti?
Calculate the quantity of pasta and ground beef you’ll require. One pound of dry spaghetti will serve four to five people when cooked. Match the amount of dry pasta you cook to the amount of ground beef you use. For example, you will need five 1 lb. boxes of dry spaghetti and 5 lbs.