Easy One Pot Pasta with Ground Beef and Broccoli
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This easy One Pot Pasta with Ground Beef and Broccoli is for those nights when dinner needs to be quick and easy. As in, almost hands-free. And family-friendly too. I love making this simple, all-in-one pasta dish that is customizable, light, and flavorful, with no tomato sauce or cream.
Featured Review:
“Hi Stephanie! I made this tonight for dinner and it was soooo good! I was looking for a recipe that had veggies, ground beef and pasta and this did the trick! Man this is good and my whole family ❤️ it!”
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What I Love About This One Pot Pasta
Welcome to a favorite weeknight pasta dinner recipe that is mix-and-match friendly. This means you can easily swap ingredients, customized to what you have in the refrigerator, and what your family will eat.
I adore this ground beef broccoli pasta recipe. But as mentioned, it’s equally easy to use it as a base one-pot pasta recipe and vary the ingredients based on what you love, or what you have on hand. It’s an easy dinner for busy weeknight meals!
- It Almost Cooks Itself: I love that this pasta recipe is so easy; it truly almost cooks itself.
- Perfect for Busy Evenings: When you’re looking for an easy pasta recipe to get dinner on the table in no time, you’ll love this meal as much as I do!
- Easy Cleanup: Like all one-pot meals, this pasta dish utilizes just one pot, making cleanup a breeze.
- Reader Reviews: This is one of those recipes where so many people have been in touch after making it. I love hearing about how it has made their dinner times easier, especially for people who are only just learning how to cook for themselves.
One-Pot Pasta Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make a simple one-pot pasta recipe with veggies and ground meat.
- Olive oil: You can also use your favorite cooking oil, to brown the meat and saute the vegetables.
- Ground Meat: I’m using lean ground beef but any ground meat, like turkey, chicken or Italian sausage, works equally well. You can also make it vegetarian by eliminating it altogether.
- Vegetables: Chopped onion, sliced mushrooms, broccoli florets, garlic cloves, and cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. Or any vegetable substitutions you prefer. Greens, like spinach or kale, are also delicious!
- Pasta: Any short pasta or tube pasta, such as macaroni, farfalle, or rotini, works well. But you can also substitute long pasta like spaghetti or linguini, or gluten-free pasta.
- Liquid: Any broth, like chicken broth, beef broth, or vegetable broth, works well. You can also use a combination of water and broth if desired.
- Seasoning: Salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes for optional heat.
- Garnishes: I love to use fresh herbs, such as parsley or basil sprigs, along with grated Parmesan cheese.
How to Make This One-Pan Pasta
Here’s how to make this simple ground beef recipe for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
Step 1: Brown the meat
Begin by heating a large pot, Dutch oven, or pasta pot and then adding the olive oil. Then saute the onion and mushrooms for 3-4 minutes. Then, add the ground meat and cook until it’s no longer pink, breaking it up as it cooks; about 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add the pasta
Combine pasta, salt, pepper, and pour in the broth. Bring to a boil, then gently level the pasta with a spatula until it is mostly submerged in the liquid.
Step 3: Cover and cook
Cover and cook on low heat for 10-12 minutes. Once the pasta is al dente, remove the lid. Add the broccoli, tomato, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the pasta. Stir and cover the pasta. Turn off the heat and let the pasta and vegetables steam in the residual heat for 5 minutes.
Once the vegetables are crisp-tender, garnish with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese as desired. Stir and serve.
Variations
- Switch up the Meat: This is an easy ground beef recipe, but you can switch the protein according to your preferences. Ground chicken, ground turkey, or Italian sausage are great choices.
- Make it Vegetarian: Replace the ground beef with vegetable broth.
- Vary the Seasonings: Use about 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of oregano, rosemary, thyme, or Italian seasoning as alternatives. Fresh lemon juice or lemon zest is also a delicious finish you can add just before serving.
Storing:
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, making it perfect for lunches throughout the week.
One Pot Pasta Frequently Asked Questions
Any short pasta like penne, macaroni, farfalle, just to name a few. I’ve also used shells and wagon wheels, which are kind of fun! Pretty much anything will work, just check the pasta is done and add a little more liquid to the pot if it needs cooking for longer so it has something to absorb.
Gluten-free pasta is healthy and fiber-rich. It works just fine in this recipe. It does cook a little faster, so check the pasta toward the end of cooking.
Well, broccoli, obviously, is my first choice. Most people love it cooked crisp-tender. Adding cheese to the pasta makes it very family-friendly – the kids will love it! But you can use whatever veggies you want for this dish.
You want about 4 to 5 cups of vegetables. One pound of broccoli will be roughly 3 cups chopped. Think of another cup or so of vegetables to add.
I sometimes love to include broccoli, cherry tomatoes, spinach, sliced mushrooms, asparagus, peas, zucchini or summer squash, or chopped peppers.
Absolutely. Ground turkey or pork are easy substitutions, but if you like ground chicken, it works too.
If you enjoyed this recipe on 31 Daily, you might also enjoy:
- Easy Garden Pasta
- Tortellini Skillet with Meatballs
- Pasta with Zucchini Garlic Butter Sauce
- Roasted Garlic Sausage Pasta
- Linguini with Canned Clam Sauce
- Healthy Tamale Pie Recipe (Mexican Casserole)
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Easy One Pot Pasta with Ground Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 (8-oz) mushrooms sliced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 8 ounces pasta short pasta like tube, macaroni, etc.
- 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable or beef broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups broccoli florets about 1 large head
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 garlic cloves grated, minced, or pressed
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat a large Dutch oven or pasta pot and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and mushrooms; saute for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink; about 5 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Sprinkle in the dry pasta, salt, and pepper; then add the broth. Bring the broth to a boil and level the pasta with a spatula until the pasta is mostly submerged in the liquid.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 10-12 minutes. Once the pasta is al dente, remove the lid. Add the broccoli, tomato, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the pasta. Stir and cover the pasta. Turn off the heat and let the pasta and vegetables steam in the residual heat for 5 minutes.
- Once the vegetables are crisp-tender, add the fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese as desired. Stir and serve.
Video
Notes
- Storing: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, making it perfect for lunches throughout the week.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Hi..do think a little cream cheese would be good in this..maby 4 oz’s.
Hi Tracy— I’ve not tried that but I think it’s a great idea! I would think 2-4 ounces sounds like a good amount to try. I’d love to hear how you liked it!
It’s a good nutritious recipe. But very bland in taste. Makes it hard to enjoy.
Hi Stephanie! I made this tonight for dinner and it was soooo good! I was looking for a recipe that had veggies, ground beef and pasta and this did the trick! Man this is good and my whole family ❤️ it! I used broccoli, mushroom and tomatoes I but I think next time I’ll leave the tomatoes. Glad to find a beef&pasta recipe that doesn’t use a red sauce. I’m adding this to my recipe rotation for sure! Thanks again😁!
Hi Jennifer! You’ve made my day! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and found ways to make it perfect for your family. I love how you made it… and I agree, it’s nice sometimes to make beef and pasta without a red sauce. Thanks for trying it and letting me know your thoughts!
I got this recipe at the end of September 2023. I have made this dish every week since & making it today. I add mixed vegetables along with broccoli & I use wheat spaghetti pasta, break it up into small pieces. Yummy yummy
Hi Felicia! I’m so glad this recipe is helpful! We have it often too– one of the things I love about it is how versatile it is with both vegetables, pasta, and even meat. Thank you for sharing!!
Stumbled upon this recipe while trying to use some of the random veggies and ground turkey we had. It was great!!! My whole family loved it.
Hi Noelle– I’m so glad you stumbled onto us! Thank you for trying the recipe. I’m so glad your family enjoyed it– mine does too!
If you look up “beginner cook” online you’ll see a picture of me looking back at you but I’m looking to eat better and this recipe seemed within my skill set. I followed the recipe as designed except for the pasta where I substituted whole grain penne regate as that was the closest pasta I had available. The dish came out great though there was about a cup’s worth of liquid left when done and from your picture it appears it should have been mostly absorbed? I liked the flavor as is but it seems easy to add other seasonings & vegetables to change things up. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi Nolan! You made my day! Thank you for trying the recipe and letting me know how you liked it and how it worked. You are absolutely right, it’s so easy to experiment with this recipe, changing vegetables, meat (even eliminating it), pasta, and seasoning. I’m so glad you found it easy to make and can’t wait to hear how you change it up!
Hi Stephanie!
Thank you for this easy recipe. I made it earlier today. I had no tomatoes so used a few tablespoons of salsa. Oh and I used gluten-free elbow macaroni. 🤷🏼♀️ Daily, I MUST track my calcium intake. I don’t have a choice. Any chance you can help me with that? I’d certainly appreciate it. 🫶🏼👩🏼🍳
Hi Marti! I’m so glad you enjoyed the one pot pasta! I too watch calcium so completely understand. I cannot find a reliable source for the exact measurement of how much calcium is in this dish. Without modifications, the recipe contains 8% of recommended daily calcium. Hope this helps. By the way, the use of salsa was a brilliant substitution!
Hi! How would I adjust the recipe if I wanted to use fresh pasta? Would I still use the same amount of broth? Thanks!
That is such a great question, Alison! I have not tested this recipe with fresh pasta. But generally, one pot pasta recipes, cooked similarly to this one, use 4 cups of water (in our case broth) for 16 ounces of fresh pasta. Fresh pasta tends to clump more than dry pasta, when cooked with larger components, like broccoli. I’m a huge fan of fresh pasta, but I’m not sure how it would do in this dish. I’ll add it to my cooking list to test soon though!
I made this tonight, will vegetable broth, tomatoes and frozen broccoli and beef. I didn’t having onion, but adding Italian herbs, paprika and garlic powder added lots of complementary flavour. Really tasty!
I’m so glad you liked it, Brennan! Those spices are my absolute favorite.
I especially like the suggestions on how to customize the recipe. Broccoli is a particularly good idea, because the florets create more spaces so nothing crowds out anything else. It’s nice to run across a recipe without red sauce.
That is a great way to describe what broccoli does! I’ve not thought about it in that way but you’re so right. I love broccoli, especially in pasta!
Was looking for a recipe to use up brocoli, pasta and ground beef and this one tasted amazing. I saved the website as I do for all my favourite recipes. I used medium lean ground beef because it was cheaper and I’m pretty sure I used a little more than prescribed but it tasted amazing nonetheless.
I’m SO glad you liked it! And you’re right, often a little higher fat ground beef is more affordable. I love how adaptable this recipe is and I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it!
I’ve never left a comment on a recipe from the internet until today. I just graduated college, moved to a new city with a new job and have been looking for things to cook.
The first time I made it I was just looking for something to use up ground beef and pasta. I didn’t have mushrooms or tomatoes or garlic cloves. I didn’t even have enough broth and I had to cut it with some water. Despite that, it was plenty good enough for me to go out of my way to get the right materials and make it again.
I recommend this dish and i recommend you use the right amount of ingredients too (but if you’re missing a few things you’ll survive).
Thank you SO much for commenting on this recipe and sharing your experience. I’m so happy you liked it and that you experimented with the ingredients you had on hand. Your comment made me smile as just yesterday, I also made this pasta, and like you, had to make do with what I had on hand. Congratulations on graduation, your new job… and your new city! I hope you have fun cooking!!
I did this recipe today but I modified it a bit. What a did in other way? I used different pasta. I don’t like the type you used, it just doesn’t taste good for me, so I used Fusilli. And, I used different variety of broccoli. My harvest was so big that I still have a few purple broccoli – the same ones as these: https://gardenseedsmarket.com/broccoli-miranda-seeds-brassica-oleracea.html – and I used one of them. It was really tasty and delicious!
Hi Jemima! Fusilli would be super good and I LOVE the idea of purple broccoli! I’m so glad you liked it!!
Can you provide recipe for making this in slow cooker? Thank you
I was hesitant to make this recipe because of no reviews. I had broccoli and ground beef on hand, but did not want to make a stir fry because they contain soy sauce which I cannot eat. This meal was wonderful and full of flavor. I used frozen mushrooms, fresh broccoli and low sodium chicken bone broth. I will add it to our recipe collection of favorite recipes!
Hi Nancy! Thank you for leaving a review — We love this recipe for quick dinners. I’m so glad you liked it. Your veggie choices are delicious and bone broth makes everything healthy and wonderful. Have a great night!