You can have this rich, creamy, and filling pasta dish ready in about 20 minutes. It’s ideal for busy weeknights or for when you want an easy meat-based pasta dinner. It’s made by mixing fusilli, rotini, or another corkscrew-shaped pasta in a rich, savory, and creamy sauce of ground beef, canned tomatoes, mascarpone, parmesan, garlic, shallot, and seasonings.

Make it for busy evenings for the family when you need something quick and filling, or serve it with some parmesan garlic bread for a cozy pasta night with the family or good friends.

two bowls of creamy ground beef pasta, one in the foreground on the right, and one in the background on the left, both displayed on a dark wooden surface

Ingredients

To make this pasta dish, you’ll first need the following:

Pasta – 8 oz / 225 g fusilli / rotini pasta (or other corkscrew-shaped pasta)
Ground Beef – 8 oz / 225 g ground beef / beef mince (85/15 or 15% fat)
Shallot – 1 shallot, peeled and finely diced
Garlic – 2 garlic cloves, minced
Italian Seasoning – 1 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning
Canned Tomatoes – 1 can of peeled tomatoes or crushed tomatoes, no added sugar (14.1 oz / 400 g can)
Mascarpone – 3 tbsp mascarpone cheese
Parmesan – 2 tbsp grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Salt – salt, to taste
Black Pepper – black pepper, to taste
Reserved Pasta Water – about 1 cup reserved pasta water, divided

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1. Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. As soon as the water boils, add the fusilli (rotini) and cook for 1 minute less than the package directions, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick. It will finish cooking in the sauce.

fusilli pasta boiling in a large pot of water

close up of fusilli pasta draining in a colander

Step 2. Start the sauce. When you set the pot of water to boil in step 1, place a large skillet (frying pan) over medium heat and let it warm for about a minute. Add the ground beef (beef mince) and break it into large chunks with a wooden spoon or spatula. Let it sit undisturbed for 1–2 minutes to brown on the bottom, then break it into smaller crumbles and stir. Keep cooking, stirring every minute or so, for about 6 minutes total, until no pink remains and the meat is browned in spots.

Note: If a lot of fat has collected, move the skillet off the heat to a heatproof surface. Push the beef to one side, tilt the pan slightly away from you, and spoon the fat into a heatproof container. Then return the skillet to the heat.

Add the shallot along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring, until the shallot starts to soften. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and stir constantly for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Don’t let the garlic brown, or it will turn bitter.

ground beef broken into chunks browning in a large skillet

shallow added to the ground beef in the skillet with salt and pepper

Step 3. Add the tomatoes and simmer the sauce. Pour in the canned tomatoes. If you’re using whole peeled tomatoes, break them up with your spoon. Scoop 1/2 cup of pasta water from the pot with a heatproof measuring cup or ladle and stir it in. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and let it bubble until the pasta is ready, stirring occasionally. If the sauce starts to look dry or thick, add a little more pasta water.

close up of canned tomatoes added to the skillet of ground beef, shallot, and seasoning to make the sauce

Step 4. Add the drained pasta to the sauce. When the pasta is ready, scoop out a little extra pasta water and set it aside, then drain the pasta in a colander. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and stir to coat it in the sauce. Simmer for about 1 minute, stirring, until the pasta is tender and the sauce clings to it. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if it looks dry.

drained pasta added to the sauce and stirred

close up of pasta mixed with the ground beef and tomato sauce in the skillet

Step 5. Finish the sauce with the cheeses. Lower the heat to low. Add the mascarpone and stir until it melts into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan until melted. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed.

overhead view of skillet after mascarpone and parmesan has been added and stirred in to the sauce with the pasta

Step 6. Serve. Divide among bowls and top with extra grated Parmesan (optional).

overhead view of white bowl of ground beef, mascarpone, and tomato sauce with fusilli pasta displayed on a dark wooden surface

If you make this pasta dinner and love it, tell me all about it in a review below.

Two pasta bowls with creamy ground beef pasta with extra parmesan on top (on a wood table background).

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