Cheesy mince pasta – a one pan meal

This cheesy mince pasta dish is my go-to recipe when I’m pressed for time but still want to serve up a healthy, tasty supper to the family. The little pasta shells are perfect for holding the sauce, and the addition of a handful of grated cheese stirred through at the last minute adds extra goodness and taste.

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What is cheesy mince pasta?

Cheesy mince pasta is a delicious one-pan meal that you can cook up in half an hour. It’s made with tasty ground beef and lots of vegetables, along with some small shell noodles. And the best thing is, it’s all made in one pan so there’s minimum washing up to do afterwards.

The vegetables are chopped so finely that even a fussy eater would be hard-pressed to find them, but if you want to disguise them even more, you could grate them instead of chopping. As a final touch, I like to stir in a handful of grated cheese once the pasta has cooked. This not only helps thicken the sauce, but also gives a lovely creamy cheese taste to the pasta.

Origins of this dish

I first made this dish many years ago, in South Africa, when you could buy a box of Meat ‘n’ Eat, which comprised of a packet of spices, a packet of instant cheese sauce mix and a packet of pasta shapes. The idea was that you just added your own meat, and you had an almost instant one-pan pasta supper. I believe that the equivalent in the US is called Hamburger Helper.

As a single mum of three, holding down a full-time job, this was a godsend. Firstly, the children loved it. Secondly, it was cheap. And thirdly, it was on the table in less than half an hour.

For some reason, this came into my mind the other day, and I thought I’d track down a box and make it for Graham. I searched high and low. I couldn’t find anything remotely similar on the shelves in the supermarket, and it didn’t come up in an Amazon search. It wasn’t even stocked by my local South African shop. Thinking about it, it’s not surprising I couldn’t find it. It must have been all of 35 years since I last bought it and it has probably been discontinued long ago.

So I popped over into the kitchen to see if I could recreate it from memory. And after a few delicious, but not quite right attempts, I think I’ve come up with a recipe for Meat ‘n’ Eat (or Hamburger Helper) which is pretty close to the original one-pan pasta. I hope you enjoy it, (I now call it cheesy mince pasta!)

What you will need

Equipment

Because this is all made in one pan you will need a saucepan large enough to hold everything (including the pasta). I find a large saute pan with a lid is perfect for cooking this dish.

You will also need a sharp knife for chopping up the vegetables and a chopping board to protect your work surface.

Ingredients

**You can find a complete list of all ingredients along with detailed instructions for making this cheesy mince pasta on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.**

This recipe makes enough to feed 4 people.

• Pasta– you should use quite small shapes. I like to use a shell shape (conchiglie) because I like the way the ground meat fills up the shells as they cook, but you can use your own favourite shape.
• Beef mince / ground beef – get good quality lean beef mince with a low fat percentage (12% maximum).
• Onions, tomatoes and mushrooms – these should be chopped up quite finely, into 1/2 to 1 cm pieces. Because the mince is so fine you don’t want large chunks of vegetables in this dish.
• Paprika – the smokiness of the paprika adds a delicious element to the dish.
• Tomato puree is also known as tomato paste. This is highly concentrated tomatoes and not to be confused with tomato ketchup.
• Worcestershire sauce
• Garlic – freshly minced cloves, or substitute with ready minced garlic from a jar.
• Salt and sugar – I always add a small amount of sugar when cooking with tomatoes, as I find it cuts through the tartness. Use salt to your own taste.
• Stock – you can use beef, chicken or vegetable stock. If you don’t have fresh stock, just mix some up using a stock cube dissolved in a cup of boiling water.
• Grated cheese – no need to mess about making cheese sauce, just stir in a handful of your favourite grated cheese at the end. I like to use a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella because they both melt easily and the mozzarella gives a nice ‘stretchiness’.

What to do

This is a very simple dish to make

Fry the onions and the mince

Add the remaining vegetables and stock

Cook the pasta and stir in the cheese

I like to serve this dish with a bowl of fresh green salad and a slice of crusty garlic bread.

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Can I freeze this pasta dish?

Yes, you can freeze it. Just let it cool and then transfer it to a plastic container. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. Do bear in mind that the pasta will soften once it has been frozen and defrosted so it will not be as good as the freshly prepared dish.

To use, let it defrost in the refrigerator and then transfer it to a saucepan and reheat on the stove until piping hot.

You can also store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave.

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Other recipes

You may also like these other easy meals

• Ham and mushroom tagliatelle
• Ground beef hot pot
• Cottage pie with a crispy topping
• Cheesy lasagne
• Cheesy bully beef pasta bake
• Garlic bread pasta bake
• Easy homemade spaghetti bolognese sauce
• Macaroni cheese deluxe

The recipe

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