One Pot Creamy Beef and Pasta Dinner

After all the fancy cooking we’ve done for the holidays, you still (GAH!) have to cook and feed the troops. I know, cuz it happens to me and yeah although I’m a foodie, there are days when you want something simple and relatively uncomplicated but still tasty. This fits the bill, a one pot dinner that is definitely comfort food at its finest. Also, while it’s best served hot when done, it’ll lurk nicely for a day or two in the fridge, might just need a bit more tomato sauce tossed in when reheated. It’s especially nice now with the cold/rainy weather we are having. Creamy, hot, meaty and with pasta, what could be bad?

So, gather your ingredients

Yeah, don’t let the mayo freak you out, it adds a lovely creaminess to the mixture and you can’t sub it out. K. The brown frozen cubes are my caramelized onions which I freeze to have available when needed. Otherwise, this is a small to medium onion, sauteed till light brown (doesn’t have to be caramelized but it’s yum if it is) Basic Sauteed Onions, A Kitchen Staple

A note. This is not very tomato forward in flavor, the addition of the soy cream/mayo which gives it a creamy texture also changes it up – it’s like a ranch dressing addition and the tomato sauce is more of a background note.

So either defrost your frozen onion cubes or sautee the onion in the oil.

Take your chopped garlic and toss in with the onion, do not let it brown, just kinda warm it in the oil, (or it gets bitter) and add ground beef and using the side of a big spoon, break up the beef and brown it.

move the onion about as well so it doesn’t burn. Once beef is browned, add tomato sauce

and spices

Cook together briefly and add the water

Bring the mixture to the boil and add the pasta.

Stir well and bring to boil, then lower flame to simmer and cover pot. Cook, covered with lid. stirring once or twice in the middle of the cooking time and replacing lid each time, for about 12 minutes or till pasta is nearly tender. Now add the mayo and soy cream or soy yogurt and stir

and lastly add the fresh or frozen defrosted (and squeezed dry) spinach and stir just till wilted for the fresh or combined and hot for the defrosted. Let stand a minute or two and serve hot. If you feel guilty serving this as a stand alone one pot dinner (hey, it’s got a veggie, spinach no less!) you can always add a small side salad. Dinner is done.

One Pot Creamy Beef and Pasta Dinner

4 cups, 12 ounces (400 grams) uncooked pasta – shells, macaroni that type of pasta

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1 pound (1/2 a kilo) ground beef

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (frozen is fine)

1/2 cup (120 ml) tomato sauce

2 3/4 (650 ml) cups water

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried chives

1 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 cup (120 grams) mayonnaise

1/2 cup nondairy yogurt or sour cream or soy cream (it all works)

4 cups fresh cleaned spinach, loosely packed OR about 3/4 cup defrosted frozen spinach, all liquid squeezed out

Brown onions in oil and add chopped garlic and just warm it in the oil, do not brown! and add ground beef and brown beef in oil, chopping the beef with the side of a spoon to break it up – drain excess fat. Add tomato sauce and spices and cook together briefly and add 2 3/4 cups water, bring to boil and add pasta. Bring the liquid back to the boil and lower flame to a simmer. Cover the pot, and stir twice, replacing cover for about 12 minutes or till pasta is almost tender. Keep pot on low flame and add mayonnaise and soy cream to the beef mixture and stir together. Add the spinach and stir and cover pot just till spinach is wilted and cooked. Shut off flame and let stand a minute or two and serve hot.