Go Back
Close-up of Marry Me Ground Beef Pasta ingredients including rigatoni, ground beef, heavy cream, and sun-dried tomatoes.

The Best Marry Me Ground Beef Pasta Recipe

Marry Me Ground Beef Pasta is a rich, 30-minute weeknight dinner featuring rigatoni coated in a thick, glossy orange-red sun-dried tomato cream sauce with perfectly browned beef crumbles.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 680
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main Ingredients
  • 16 oz rigatoni pasta (450g) cooked al dente
  • 1 lb lean ground beef (450g) 85/15 preferred
  • 1 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomato jar (15ml) for sautéing
  • 0.5 cup yellow onion (75g) finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic (12g) minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste (30g)
  • 0.5 cup beef broth (120ml)
  • 1 cup heavy cream (240ml)
  • 0.5 cup sun-dried tomatoes (110g) drained and diced
  • 0.5 cup parmesan cheese (45g) freshly grated, plus more for garnish
  • 1 tsp kosher salt (6g)
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper (1g)
  • 0.5 tsp red chili flakes (1g) plus more for garnish
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley (8g) chopped, for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Large Skillet For building the creamy sun-dried tomato sauce.
  • 1 Large pot For boiling the rigatoni pasta.

Method
 

Cooking Instructions
  1. Cook the rigatoni in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.
  2. In a wide skillet, heat the sun-dried tomato oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and sear undisturbed until browned crumbles form. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Lower heat to medium. Add the diced onion and cook until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste, cooking for 2 minutes until the paste is a deep rust color.
  4. Pour in the beef broth to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the savory browned bits. Stir in the diced sun-dried tomatoes and let the liquid reduce slightly.
  5. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the heavy cream until a thick, glossy, orange-red sauce forms. Gradually sprinkle in the grated parmesan cheese until completely melted.
  6. Fold the cooked rigatoni into the sauce until thoroughly coated. Serve in shallow bowls, garnished with extra parmesan, red chili flakes, and freshly chopped parsley.

Notes

Use a block of real parmesan cheese rather than pre-grated; the anti-caking agents in bagged cheese will prevent your sauce from becoming glossy.
If your sauce becomes too thick while resting, stir in a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen it.