Description
A creamy, cheesy one-pot dinner made with pantry staples that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
Scale
- 500 g (1 lb) ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 150 g / 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste
- 240 ml (1 cup) beef or chicken broth
- 300 ml (10 fl oz) evaporated milk
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream
- 225 g (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
- 150 g (1 1/2 cups) shredded cheddar or mozzarella
- 60 g (1/2 cup) grated Parmesan
- 340 g (12 oz) short pasta (e.g., penne)
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Optional: 4 slices crispy bacon, cooked and crumbled; chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Brown the meat and aromatics: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onion; sauté until browned and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Build the sauce base: Add tomato paste, broth, evaporated milk, heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on Low for 2 hours.
- Add cream cheese and melting cheeses: Cut cream cheese into cubes and stir into the hot sauce until mostly melted, about 5–8 minutes. Add shredded cheese and Parmesan; stir gently until incorporated.
- Add the pasta: Stir in dry pasta and extra broth or water if needed; cover and cook on Low for 30–45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, cook pasta separately and stir in.
- Finish and rest: Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in crumbled bacon or parsley if desired. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
For a vegetarian version, replace ground beef with crumbled firm tofu or cooked lentils and use vegetable broth. Adjust cooking time for gluten-free pasta.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 180 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 650
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 780mg
- Fat: 38g
- Saturated Fat: 19g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 120mg