Beef and Tomato Pasta with Cheese
A rich, savory beef and tomato sauce tossed with pasta and finished with melted cheese. The starchy cooking water brings the sauce together so it coats every strand.
- Total
- 45 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 35
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Emulsifying
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and roughly chop the tomatoes into 2 cm pieces.
~8 min
-
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef mince and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until well browned and no pink remains, about 6 to 8 minutes. Season with half the salt and the black pepper.
~8 min
Browning the beef builds deep flavor through the Maillard reaction, while breaking it up keeps the texture even.
Searing Get the pan hot and leave the beef undisturbed until a brown crust forms; crowding or stirring too soon steams the meat and loses flavor.
-
Add the chopped tomatoes to the skillet with the remaining salt. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes collapse and the sauce thickens slightly, about 12 to 15 minutes.
~15 min
Simmering collapses the tomatoes and evaporates water, concentrating flavor so the sauce thickens and clings.
-
While step 3 cooks
While the sauce simmers, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 9 to 11 minutes. Reserve 250 ml of the starchy cooking water, then drain the pasta.
~11 min
Cooking to al dente keeps pasta firm so it finishes perfectly when tossed with the sauce.
-
Add the drained pasta to the skillet with 120 ml of the reserved cooking water. Toss over medium heat until the sauce looks glossy and clings to the pasta, about 2 minutes, adding more water a splash at a time if it seems dry.
~2 min
Starchy pasta water emulsifies the sauce, helping it coat every strand instead of pooling.
Reserve more pasta water than you think you need: its starch is what turns the tomato and beef juices into a sauce that coats the pasta instead of pooling at the bottom.
Emulsifying Toss pasta with starchy water over medium heat until the sauce turns glossy and clings; add water gradually to avoid a watery sauce.
-
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the grated cheese until melted and creamy. Serve hot.
~2 min
Adding cheese off the heat prevents it from clumping or stringing, melting smoothly instead.
Add the cheese off the heat so it melts smoothly rather than clumping or stringing.