This Creamy Beef and Fusilli Pasta combines ground beef with jarred marinara enriched by cream cheese for a silky, comforting sauce ready in under 30 minutes. The creator playfully contradicts her Italian roots by upgrading marinara with simple pantry staples into an impressive weeknight dish.
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In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Once hot, add the chopped onion and sauté until softened.
Add the sliced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning to the skillet. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the ground beef to the skillet. Break it apart and cook until fully browned.
Pour in the marinara sauce. Add about 1/4 cup of water to the empty jar, shake it to collect the remaining sauce, and pour it into the skillet.
Add the cream cheese to the sauce. Stir continuously until the cream cheese is fully melted and incorporated, creating a creamy sauce. Let it simmer.
While the sauce simmers, cook the fusilli pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
Add the reserved pasta water to the meat sauce and stir to combine. This will help the sauce adhere to the pasta.
Drain the cooked pasta and place it in a large serving bowl. Add the pats of butter and toss to coat the pasta.
Pour the creamy meat sauce over the buttered pasta. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley.
Toss everything together until well combined and serve immediately.
Store cooled pasta and sauce separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of pasta water to restore creaminess.
Yes. Any medium pasta (penne, rigatoni, farfalle) works. Fusilli's ridges hold the creamy sauce well, but personal preference is fine.
Cook pasta separately and store sauce and pasta in separate containers for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop, thinning with pasta water if needed.
Substitute heavy cream (1/4 cup), sour cream, or ricotta. Cream cheese creates the richest texture, but alternatives work and taste good.
Keep heat at medium-low when adding cream cheese, stir constantly, and cube it small for even melting. Don't boil vigorously.
Yes. Double all ingredients for 8 servings. Increase cook times slightly for larger quantities of beef and sauce.
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