One-Pan Mince Pasta
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This cheesy mince pasta is my ultimate recipe for a busy day. I know you want comfort food on a Tuesday, but you don’t want a mountain of dishes afterwards! Honestly, if you’re looking for simple mince and pasta recipes that taste amazing and don’t require heavy cleanup, this is the one. Serve it with Crispy Smashed Broccoli with Parmesan for the easiest weeknight meal.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: One-Pan Mince Pasta
- 🕦 Ready in: 30 minutes
- 🤝 Serves: 5
- 🍴 Calories: 509kcal
- 🧑🍳 Main ingredients: beef mince, broccoli, American cheese, pasta
- ✨ Summary: Mince pasta is the absolute ultimate comfort food. This one-pan meal is packed with flavour and keeps the washing up minimal!
Why you’ll love this recipe
I love a recipe that promises the world and actually delivers, and mince pasta recipes always do. Here are a few reasons you’ll be adding this to your rotation:
- Flavourful: We build the flavour in stages, starting with nicely browned mince, then the punchy garlic, onion, and spices. Two types of cheese make it so velvety smooth and satisfying. It’s got that deep, buttery flavour I love, similar to my Easy Ragu Bianco!
- One-pan wonder: Everything happens in just one pan, meaning minimal scrubbing and less effort after a long day. If you’ve been searching for super quick pasta and mince recipes, this is the one!
- Versatile: This mince pasta is super flexible – you can easily swap out the beef mince or use gluten-free pasta if needed. It’s a great way to use up veggies in your fridge without making a whole new dish. For another dish you can easily adapt, check out these Healthy Noodle Bowls.
If you need a bit more heft for your meal, you could serve this pasta with Easy Sausage and Peppers (One Pan), Crispy Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges, or Easy Skillet Roasted Corn.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
I think these few ingredients are the true stars that give this mince pasta its wonderful flavour and texture:
- Mince: I generally use around 500g of beef mince for this mince pasta recipe, usually 12% fat for the best flavour, but you can use lean beef, pork, or even lamb mince. This is one of my go-to one pot mince pasta dishes. You can also use plant-based mince here for a great vegetarian option! I always use mince in my classic Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne too.
- Broccoli: I actually use the whole broccoli here, stalks and florets, which is just brilliant for reducing waste and bulking up the dish in a healthy way. The stalks go in early to soften, and the little florets go in halfway through the pasta cook to stay a beautiful green.
- American cheese slices: American cheese melts so incredibly well, making the sauce super creamy and luscious. If you don’t fancy it, swap it for a mix of cream cheese and a decent sharp cheddar for a similar melty effect.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
I always encourage people to tinker with a recipe! Try these tasty mince pasta variations to make this recipe perfectly yours:
- Veggie/plant-based: This is easy to make meat-free! Swap the beef for plant-based mince, then add extra veg like zucchini or spinach for bulk. This works great for pasta and mince, and also works for my Easy Beef and Broccoli Recipe.
- Spicy Tex-Mex style: For a punchier flavour, throw in some cumin and chilli powder with the red pepper flakes. You can also mix in a handful of black beans and corn, topping it with cheddar cheese instead of American slices.
- Mediterranean: Use lamb mince instead of beef and add a handful of chopped olives and spinach with the florets. Finish the mince and pasta with a sprinkle of salty, crumbled feta cheese instead of the Parmesan.
How to make Easy One-Pan Mince Pasta
Step 1: Preheat your grill to 200°C/400°F and place a cast-iron or stainless steel pan on the stove. Prep your broccoli.
Step 2: Add olive oil and beef mince to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and fry on high heat for about 5 minutes. Remove the beef, leaving the oil in the pan.
Step 3: Reduce to medium heat, add onion, broccoli stalks, and garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes, adding the tomato purée halfway through.
Step 4: Pour in the chicken stock, pasta, and the browned beef. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broccoli florets halfway through.
Step 5: Stir in 2 slices of cheese until melted, then tear the remaining cheese on top and sprinkle over the parmesan.
Step 6: Put the pan under the preheated grill for about 8 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbly. Finish with basil and extra red pepper flakes.
If you have leftover mince, consider making Easy Burger Bowls, One-Pan Cajun Dirty Rice Recipe (Ready in 30 Minutes!), or Beef Keema (Mince Curry).
Tips for the best result
- You need enough liquid to mostly cover the mince pasta so it cooks evenly and doesn’t end up crunchy! Give the pasta a good stir every so often to make sure it doesn’t cement itself to the bottom of the pan.
- The high heat is crucial for browning the mince properly and developing a deep, meaty flavour. This is one of my favourite beef mince recipe ideas and also great for my Delicious Chicken Bolognese.
- Don’t just season once at the end – season the mince, season the veggies, and taste the final sauce. Layering the salt and pepper is how you build a really flavourful dish.
- This pasta bake actually tastes even better the next day, making it great for meal prepping. If you’re looking for good 30 minute beef mince recipes to batch cook, this is great.
Serving Suggestions
Honestly, mince pasta is a meal in itself. You really don’t need much more than this mince pasta bake for dinner, but adding a side of fresh greens for some extra plants, or even a bit of dipping bread, is always a lovely touch!
Try it with:
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
Refrigerator: Let the mince pasta cool all the way down before you put it into an airtight container. It’ll be perfect for lunch for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Because of all the dairy and the pasta, I don’t usually freeze this mince dish. The texture can get a little bit grainy or mushy when it thaws. Better to enjoy it fresh!
Reheat: For a single portion, the microwave works fine until it’s piping hot. If you have a larger amount, put it in an oven dish and warm it up in a 180°C/350°F oven until the cheese is bubbly and delicious again.
Recipe FAQs
This usually means the pasta wasn’t fully submerged in the stock, or the heat was too high causing the liquid to evaporate too quickly. Add more stock to cover the pasta and keep stirring!
Yes, absolutely! You can swap the beef for any other ground meat or a plant-based alternative with a 1:1 ratio. The cook time will remain the same.
If you don’t want to use American slices in your pasta with mince, you can substitute them with two tablespoons of cream cheese mixed with a handful of grated cheddar for a creamy melty result.
The sauce thickens quickly as the pasta absorbs the stock. If it starts to look dry during the 8-minute cook time, just add a splash of extra chicken stock (or water) until you reach your desired consistency. This simple tip ensures this one-pan mince pasta remains one of the easiest mince dishes you can make.
Need something sweet for after? Try Easy Nutella Puff Pastry (just 4 Ingredients!), Chocolate Protein Muffins (Fudgy & High Protein), or Delicious Vanilla Sponge Cake.
If you tried this One-Pan Mince Pasta recipe, it would mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Easy One-Pan Mince Pasta
Ingredients
- 500 g beef mince
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 broccoli, stalks chopped + sliced into florets
- 300 g pasta
- 5 slices of American cheese
- 50 g parmesan
- Optional fresh basil
Cupboard essentials
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
Method
- Preheat your grill to 200°C/ 400°F.
- Start by adding half of the olive oil and beef mince into your cast-iron/ stainless steel pan. Season with salt and pepper. Fry over a high heat for around 5 minutes to brown the mince. Remove from the pan, leaving any oil.
- Next, reduce the heat and add the remaining oil and onion, broccoli stalks and garlic to the pan. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for around 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree halfway through.
- Pour the chicken stock, pasta and browned beef mince into the pan. Set a timer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broccoli florets half-way through.
- Add 2 of the cheese slices into the pan and stir until combined and melted. Tear and scatter the remaining cheese, then top with the parmesan. Pop under the grill for around 8 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
- Top with optional fresh basil and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Notes
- You need enough liquid to mostly cover the mince pasta so it cooks evenly. Give the pasta a good stir every so often.
- The high heat is crucial for browning the mince properly.
- Don’t just season once at the end – season the mince, season the veggies, and taste the final sauce.
- This pasta bake actually tastes even better the next day, making it great for meal prepping.
Nutrition
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