Description
A comforting and cheesy pasta dish featuring rigatoni, Italian seasoned ground beef, and a creamy marinara sauce made with Velveeta.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 1 pound ground Italian-seasoned beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jar (24 ounces) marinara sauce
- 1 (16 ounce) box Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground Italian-seasoned beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned. Drain off any excess grease.
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet with the beef and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the marinara sauce and stir to combine with the beef. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the cubed Velveeta cheese to the skillet. Stir continuously until the Velveeta is completely melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Season the sauce with salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in Italian seasoning, if using.
- Add the cooked and drained rigatoni to the skillet with the creamy marinara sauce. Toss gently to coat the pasta evenly.
- If using, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the top of the pasta.
- For a golden, bubbly cheese topping, you can place the skillet under a broiler for 1-2 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.
- Serve the Creamy Velveeta Rigatoni with Italian Beef Marinara immediately.
Notes
- For a lighter version, you can substitute ground turkey or chicken for the beef.
- If you don’t have rigatoni, penne, ziti, or shells can be used instead.
- This dish is even better the next day.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 750
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 1200mg
- Fat: 40g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 25g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 70g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 100mg