This easy, cheesy one pan mince pasta is going to be your new go-to quick weeknight meal. 30 minutes from start to finish and everything (including the pasta) is cooked in one pan!
I have to tell you, I am seriously considering not ever posting another dinner recipe on this blog ever again. We are so outright obsessed with this cheesy one pan mince pasta that I am struggling to think how I am going to top this.
Not only is it the ultimate comfort food situation, it also wins ALL the prizes for being speedy, cost efficient, easy to cook and ONE PAN!! We have been eating this at least once a week for the last couple of months and it's got to the point where I don't even erase it from the blackboard meal planner because it has well and truly earned a permanent spot there.
This recipe was originally going to be a mince pasta bake - it's such a classic family meal. But then I remembered that I hate doing dishes and knew that there had to be a way to avoid the frying pan + pasta pot + baked on cheese in the oven dish situation. Lightbulb. Throw the uncooked pasta into the mince when you add the sauce ingredients, cover up and let it do it's thing.
It's a miracle. The pasta cooks PERFECTLY in the sauce. I am never cooking pasta in a pot ever again.
Expert tip
The key is adding extra liquid to the sauce. A tin of tomatoes + a cup and a half of beef stock is the perfect amount - enough to cook the pasta and make a super delicious sauce. That's what I actually like about this over pasta bake - no risk of it drying out.
And if you think that you'll miss the melty cheesy goodness that comes with pasta bake, fear not. Once the pasta has cooked, throw liberal handfuls of your favourite grated cheese on top and cover it for another couple of minutes. The melty cheese that ensues will convert you if nothing else does.
Even better, if you have a cast iron pan, throw it under the grill for a couple of minutes instead to get the cheese golden.
Why this recipe works
- It is cheap to make
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Packed full of flavour
- Saucy
- Saves you dishes
- An epic melty cheese meal
It ticks every single dinner time box!
It's kid friendly, farmer friendly and hungry mama friendly. What more do you need?
More easy dinner ideas:
Super Simple Spaghetti Bolognese
30 Minute Stovetop Macaroni Cheese
Mushroom Pasta with Garlic Herb Butter Sauce
Cheesy One Pan Mince Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed or finely chopped)
- 500 grams beef mince (ground beef)
- 1x 400 gram tin of chopped tomatoes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 1 Tablespoon dried mixed herbs
- 1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups dried penne pasta
- ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese (or any other cheese)
Instructions
- You will need a large frying pan with a lid for this recipe. If you don't have a pan with a lid, you can use tinfoil to cover it instead.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the beef mince/ground beef and brown (about 5 minutes)
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, mixed herbs & worcestershire sauce and stir to combine.
- Reduce heat to medium/low, add the pasta and stir to combine. Cover and allow to cook for 15 minutes, stirring once during cooking.
- After 15 minutes, remove the lid and check that the pasta is cooked. If it needs, cook for an extra couple of minutes.
- Sprinkle the cheese on top and cover again for a further 2 minutes until the cheese has melted. If you have used an oven proof (e.g. cast iron) pan you can put it under the grill to melt the cheese if you would prefer.
- Take the pan off the heat and serve immediately!
Nutrition
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If you tried and loved this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below!
Super yummy! But I added some more beef stock and pasta, salt and pepper.
I love this recipe, but I also add baby spinach & grated carrot to smuggle some vegetables in for the preschooler. Easy & quick = win win!!
Absolutely delicious and creamy tasting. Everything cooked to perfection. Followed recipe but no Worcestershire sauce as none at home. Made in large pot on stove, worked perfectly fine. New family favorite and will definitely make again and again.
Thank you, Laura.
Tasty and easy to make. Definitely will be using this recipe often
My mum made a similar dish to this and I always called it meaty pasta. Was my favourite dish as a kid. When I moved out of home I tried so hard to replicate it and always failed. Until I read your recipe. It’s not 100% the same as my mums dish and doesn’t have the touch of love when a mother cooks but it is so close. Thank you! Will be a dinner time fav from now on 🙂
Great recipe - I made this and had it on my own a couple of nights in a row! I cooked the mince for a long time before I add the pasta, probably an hour ir more on low in all the juices - it’s ground beef and needs to break down. Fresh herbs are great in this and topped with buffalo mozzarella and a quick grill in the oven. Excellent. Making basil oil to drizzle over it next time, which is tomorrow! 👍
We put cheese sauce on top and bake in oven for a few minutes.
This recipe is now a family favourite.
It’s been affectionately renamed Poor Mans Lasagna and leftovers are fought over the next day.
Thank you so much xx
The bestest and easiest yummiest one pan meal without many dishes to wash MEAL ever. KUDOS
OH, I think I Love you!
You sold me at fewer dishes but it also tasted fab. A really great recipe for a quick dinner 🙂
Won't you burn the onions putting them in before the mince?
I cook/sweat the onions real low before adding the beef. Then turn it up - the fat from the beef will protect the onions 🙂
Easy and tasty. I added veggies whizzed up to small bits (kumera, pumpkin, zucchini, parsnip and mushrooms) some extra pasta and liquid and it was perfect.
Toddler approved as well.
Sour cream to serve
Thank you
Super easy to make, only a few basic ingredients and came out absolutely delicious
The Friday after work and school meal. If you have raced around the supermarket after finishing work and collecting the kids it is easy and filling.
The kids have started to make it as well so after a busy week I don't have to cook on Friday night
Easy clean up Pan, Plates, 1 Pyrex Jug is about all.
Thank you Kiwi Country Girl, I am a Kiwi living in Australia. I have been fighting depression since we were in lockdown due to Covid and have been struggling to find simple meals that are delicious. I decided to go on line and found your dish and I am sold. I am in the process of cooking it now and can't wait to serve up dinner to my partner who has been putting up with some very basic meals lately, he will be fed properly tonight. The great thing is that not only is it simple, but I had all the ingredients in the cupboard and fridge. We Kiwis need to stick together no matter where we are in the world. .
Hi Stephanie! I am so sorry you've been going through a tough time - it's been a hard year hasn't it! I am so happy that you've found some comfort in this recipe - I love that food has that ability to bring us together!! I hope you both enjoyed this dish and that you are doing ok. Laura
This is a go to in our house now for the 'need an easy meal after a long day' nights. I add a can of lentils and some grated vege and up the liquid slightly to compensate. Kind of like a cheats lasagne.
Easy to cook even fathers can prepare supper out of this recipe. My wife came back home late due to work related matters and she was exhausted, not feeling well. I had to prepare supper for my 2 kids and my wife prior to her arrival. We enjoyed the meal and it was delicious for any family. I now cook this once or twice a week. I know developed the cooking skills with other recipes as well. Thanx to country girl Thekwini thumbs up
This is so easy to make, and I love that it minimizes dishes. This dish has become a family favorite!
One likes the recipe, but one finds cooking the pasta first is better, as it does not get cooked in with the minced beef, tomatoes, herbs, garlic, onion, it is still hard, as for washing up I do not mind