If you're looking for an easy, delicious and quick mid-week meal the whole family can enjoy, then look no further than my One Pot Mince and Pasta. Yes, everything is literally made in one pot - making cleaning up a breeze.
One pot meals are some of the most popular on my website, with good reason! Full of flavour, easy to prepare and a minimal amount of dishes - what's not to love?
This recipe for cheesy One Pot Mince and Pasta is my go-to midweek meal. The best thing about this recipe is the pasta cooks in the sauce with the beef mince, which means it infuses so much flavour. For a chicken version, check out my yummy One Pot Chicken and Pasta.
This is one of the most popular recipes in the VJ Cooks App. In the app you can create personal meal plans in minutes that will generate an automatic shopping list. You will also get access to new and exclusive recipes every month. If you want to streamline your meal planning, check out the VJ Cooks App today.
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Ingredient notes:
- Mince: This recipe calls for beef mince. I like to use a premium mince with the least amount of fat, but feel free to use the most affordable option. Lamb, chicken or pork mince could also be substituted. Mince is so versatile. For a full round-up of my most popular mince recipes, be sure to check out my blog post for The 16 Best Mince Recipes on my website.
- Pasta: Almost any type of pasta pieces will work in this recipe. Penne, bow ties, shells, spiral or macaroni are all good options. Spaghetti and other long pastas would be difficult to cook in the pan.
- Milk: When I first posted this recipe in 2018, I would always get the same questions - Milk? Really? Yes! The milk makes the sauce creamy, without being too rich.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Heat oil in a large frypan and brown the mince. Add onion and spinach then cook until the onion has softened. Add garlic, Italian herbs, chilli flakes, tomato paste and canned tomatoes then mix well with mince.
Pour in stock, milk and pasta then stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Keep stirring every few minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the pasta is cooked al dente.
Scatter over cheese and let it melt on top of the mince, then serve immediately. Serve your delicious pasta with a fresh salad and crusty garlic bread.
Hint: You could easily freeze this for later and serve as a pasta bake. Simply let it cool to room temperature then add it to an ovenproof dish and scatter with cheese. Cover with a lid or cling-wrap and freeze in an airtight container.
When you are ready to cook it for dinner simply thaw then bake in the oven until heated through and the cheese is bubbling on top.
For another super easy, kid-friendly, one-pot pasta meal, you can't go past my Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese.
Recipe FAQs:
Any type of short pasta pieces work well in a meal like this. Spirals, penne, macaroni, shells or bow ties are all good option. Depending on how big they are, you may have to adapt your cooking time to ensure they are cooked al dente.
Al dente is an Italian phrase used in relation to cooking pasta. It literally means 'to the tooth' which means the pasta should have a slight bite to it. The perfect pasta is cooked to the point where it is neither hard, nor soft and squishy but with a small amount of resistance at the centre - aka al dente!
Most young children seem to love this type of meal. Ground beef is so easy for kids to chew and digest. Combine that with perfectly cooked pasta and cheese and you're on to a winner.
★★★★★
"This is the most amazing recipe I've ever made. The first time I cooked it my husband said it's like a restaurant meal. "
Louise - VJ Cooks reader
Storage:
This meal is best made fresh, cooked just before serving.
Leftover portions can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost, then re-heat until piping hot.
Alternatively, you could freeze all the leftovers in a dish to serve as a pasta bake. Simply let it cool to room temperature, add it to an ovenproof dish, scatter with cheese, then cover with cling film. When you are ready to cook it for dinner simply thaw then bake in the oven until heated through and the cheese is bubbling on top.
Top tips:
If you're making this for adults, feel free to add a little more chilli flakes. If you're serving to kids who don't like hot food, leave it out all together.
Related Recipes:
Made this recipe?
Please click on the stars below to rate it!
One pot mince and pasta
A delicious meal with beef mince and pasta all cooked in the same dish.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 500g beef mince (17oz)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 handful baby spinach (optional)
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 Tbsp Italian herbs
- ½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 400g can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups pasta
- ½ cup grated cheese
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large frypan and brown the mince, add onion and spinach then cook until the onion has softened.
- Add garlic, Italian herbs, chilli flakes, tomato paste and canned tomatoes then mix well with mince.
- Pour in stock, milk and pasta then stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium, keep stirring every few minutes until liquid has absorbed and pasta is cooked al dente.
- Scatter over cheese and let it melt on top of the mince, serve immediately.
- Serve your delicious pasta with a fresh salad and crusty garlic bread.
Notes
- The beef mince could be swapped for chicken mince.
- Any shape pasta could be swapped for spirals.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 602Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 550mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 47g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
Theresa says
Love this meal! thank you 🙂
Laura says
Oh my goodness this was delicious!! I cooked half a chopped capsicum with it and it was superb. Thanks!
Mildred says
Superb receipe. Made it so many times
Amanda says
To quote Mr5, absolutely delicious my favourite
VJ cooks says
I love that! Thanks for the feedback Mr 5 🙂
MrsMac says
Made this tonight as needed to use up some mince, my son dislikes a traditional spag bol (annoying!) but he loved this! Clean plates all round, I also stirred in some Greek yogurt towards the end to elevate the creaminess of the sauce. Tasty, easy recipe, one I’ll definitely make again.
VJ cooks says
Oh that's a great idea. So pleased to hear everyone enjoyed the recipe 🙂 It's a firm favourite in our house too!
One Happy Mum says
love how quick and easy it is when you have hungry little ones. Its delicious too, thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Maggie Lin says
Hi! Just wondering how much stock to use if I just wanted to make the sauce and pasta seperate? Would I just half the stock? I loved it when I made it with beef mince but would like to substitue with roast chicken.
Thank you!
VJ cooks says
Oh I haven't tested that on this recipe - the beauty here is that everything cooks in one pot! Let me know how you get on with halving the stock.
Nicola says
This is my weekly go to!
Thanks so much for sharing
Les says
What an amazing dish it turned out to be...definitely a mealmaker
VJ cooks says
Thanks for the feedback, Les! This is one of the most popular recipes on my website.
Pat says
Easy recipe for older person living alone. Put some in freezer as well.
VJ cooks says
That's awesome, Pat! Yes it freezes really well and there's only one pot to wash up. Thank you for the feedback 🙂
Diana says
Can you replace the milk with a non dairy alternative?
VJ cooks says
Yes of course, feel free to use your favourite alternative milk. Just bear in mind that the flavour will be altered slightly.
Amanda says
One cup how big ?
VJ cooks says
Do you mean the cups of pasta? 2 metric cups.
Teesh says
We cooked this tonight, plenty of flavour and the pasta cooks through well ( if you're concerned it won't!) Everyone finished there dinner - kids included! And they all said they would eat it again
Tish says
Simple & quick go to meal to make! Never put milk in with mince, thought it might curdle or something. But nope, you can’t tell the milk is there. Will make this again!
VJ cooks says
I hear you, Tish! So many people are unsure of the milk - until they try it! Such an easy recipe.
Jamie says
My kids just made this for the school holidays. Absolutely loved it. Said it tastes like lasagne in a pot!
VJ cooks says
That's awesome! Well done to your kids!
Emma Kelly says
This is the most amazing recipe I’ve ever made. The first time I cooked it my husband said it’s like a restaurant meal. The second time added sausage meat. Game changer. Thank you!
VJ cooks says
That's awesome. Yes, this is hands down my most popular recipe! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Monica says
Well this is pretty awesome .
I don’t like pasta very much but it was pretty impressive .
Have past the recipe onto my son in ozzy for his family.
Tried lots of you're recipes keep them coming I so enjoy you’re blog.
VJ cooks says
Thanks so much, Monica. Glad to hear you're enjoying the recipes 🙂
Desiree says
Exactly what I was looking for tonight! A recipe with only 500gm mince that I could extend for whole family, using ingredients I nearly always have in my house.
Thank you
VJ cooks says
That's awesome. I love this recipe for it's versatility too - almost any type of mince or pasta can be used!
Jazz says
I just wrote a review for this and confused it with the smoked sausaged casserole for a minute with the beans comment, my bad! But this has become a favourite!
VJ cooks says
Haha no worries at all! I appreciate you taking the time to review and comment 🙂
Fay says
Thank you for such an easy and tasty recipe! I would now like to make a big batch, can I just double the quantities of all ingredients?
VJ cooks says
Absolutely. You will just need a large enough pot to cook it all in - or do it in two separate pans.
MJ says
Fancied something a little different than standard Spag Bol. So pleased I stubbled across your recipe, so easy to make and absolutely delicious! Will definitely become one of my regular go to dinners!
Luke says
Gave this a shot tonight and it was excellent!
I added a touch of Worcestershire Sauce and a pinch of salt after the pasta had cooked through.
Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!
VJ cooks says
That's awesome! Yes Worcestershire sauce is great in mince dishes.
Louise says
Wow I made this last night for dinner was so yummy and pretty easy to make! My husband and son were very impressed by this meal and there was plenty of leftovers too
Martina Reid says
For a non American how much is 1 can of crushed tomatoes? thanks
VJ cooks says
400g! I've just updated the recipe to state this. Thank you.
Anne says
When stated amounts in cups, what is the measurement in grams and how much milk?
VJ cooks says
1 cup of milk = 250mls
2 cups of dried pasta = 200g approx, depending on the type of pasta you're using
Cameron says
Been making this every week for about the last month, doubled the recipe and it is perfect meal prep for 5 days while bulking atm. Delicious and perfect for high protein.
VJ cooks says
That's awesome. Thank you for the feedback, Cameron!
eimeek says
So impressed with this, kids love it, extremely quick & easy to make & ideal if your batch cooking. I add 2 tablespoons of tomato & mascarpone stir through sauce to make it extra tasty...probably no need for it but the creamier the better for me....having the spinach makes me feel likes its a healthy dinner 🙂
VJ cooks says
Love this. Thank you for the feedback.
Shaun says
Excellent dish, can easily add up to 750g of mince without needing to change the quantities of the other ingredients for larger servings:)
VJ cooks says
Good to know! So pleased you enjoyed it 🙂
Mally says
Do you have to boil the pasta before adding to the mince.
Mally.
Ok
VJ cooks says
Hi Mally,
No, you add the pasta in raw! the magic is that it cooks in the liquid in the pan.
Moy Phillips says
I was looking for a tasty and quick beef mince meal and stumbled across this. I cooked this tonight and it was tasty,quick and easy. I added chopped potatoes as I didn't have any pasta. Will definitely make this again with pasta.
Sue says
Made this last night for dinner, use fresh spinach and courgette from the garden. Absolutely delicious and plent left to freeze for another couple of meals. Thanks for the recipe.
Diane says
Can you use a dairy or lactose free milk for this one?
VJ cooks says
Yes you can.
Jan says
Have made this several times, so easy to make and soooo delicious! A fantastic recipe, thanks for sharing. Love using both of your books.
VJ cooks says
Thank you so much, Jan 🙂
Wendy says
I made this today, I doubled the recipe and cooked it in my large wok, it turned out so yummy! I also added a can of mild chilli beans .
Half the recipe is destined for the freezer.
So yum and so easy!
VJ cooks says
Amazing. Thank you for the feedback, Wendy.
Amy says
Love this recipe so easy as a go to quick weeknight meal! Family said it was delicious. That’s a win in our house. Thanks
VJ cooks says
It's such a winner, isn't it Amy?
Lavinia says
Hello! Love this meal and have made it a few times. I'm just wondering if I make it using the chicken mince, should I use chicken stock instead of beef or does it not matter?
Thanks!
VJ cooks says
Hi Lavinia, either stock flavour will work! You can replace the beef stock with chicken stock if you prefer 🙂
Tania says
Do you have to use milk or can you just use stock
VJ cooks says
You can use more stock if you prefer. The milk gives it a lovely creamy flavour.
Tania Simon says
Just another question, can you make it early then reheat, cause you say to server straight away
VJ cooks says
Ah you could. You would just have to be mindful of how you stored it between making it and reheating it. Also the texture of the pasta might become softer over time. Therefore you might want to only partially cook the pasta and then let it cook through all the way when reheating.
Georgia says
Used gluten free penne pasta and it was perfect! My first time making this & will definitely make it again. Thank you so much!
VJ cooks says
Awesome! Yes I've made it with gluten free pasta too! Sometimes it can take a little longer to cook than regular pasta, but just as delicious at the end 🙂
EllyG says
Great recipe and so adaptable. I used plant mince and wholemeal pasta, and added peppers and courgette. Added a meat free "beef" stock cube and chipotle flakes. Used frozen spinach and skimmed milk as that is all I had. So yummy - thank you.
VJ cooks says
Great job.
B says
I’ve made this several times and the flavour is delicious. But, for some reason even once the pasta is fully cooked the selfish is quite sloppy. Any ideas as to why?
VJ cooks says
I'm not sure what you mean by selfish, sorry?