One Pan Cheesy Beef and Broccoli Ditalini

Some dinners start with a plan. This one started with a pound of ground beef, a box of ditalini and zero interest in washing a second pot.

What came out of that mess is this one pan cheesy beef and broccoli ditalini. Browned beef. Little pasta tubes cooked right in the broth. A cup of broccoli. Then cream and a ridiculous amount of cheddar. Forty minutes, give or take, and one pan in the sink.

Why This One Pan Cheesy Beef and Broccoli Ditalini Works

The pasta cooks in the broth, not in water you pour down the drain. All that starch stays in the pan and thickens the sauce. No flour, no roux. Skip the draining and you keep the good stuff.

Leave a little grease. Not a lot, a little. Pour off every drop and the pasta tastes flat, since the fat is carrying the seasoning. Leave too much and the whole thing turns slick. Drain most of it, stop there.

Toast the ditalini in the beef for a couple of minutes before any liquid goes in. It coats the pasta in fat and spices first, so the flavor is in the noodle instead of just sitting around it.

Cream and cheese go in last, and the heat comes down first. Boil cheddar hard and it can go grainy and greasy on you. Low heat, stir, smooth sauce. That’s the whole reason for step seven.

And the broccoli. Covered for a few minutes so it steams, then uncovered so the broth keeps reducing. first time I tossed the broccoli in with the pasta and it came out army-green and mushy.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ditalini pasta
• 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2–3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Cowboy Butter seasoning, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Easy Onion seasoning, optional

Instructions

1. Cook the ground beef in a large pan. Halfway through, season with Cowboy Butter seasoning and pepper, or whatever you like. Add Easy Onion if you want it.
2. Once the beef is fully cooked, drain some of the grease. Leave a little in the pan.
3. Add the ditalini and toss it with the beef for a couple of minutes.
4. Pour in the beef broth and bring it to a boil.
5. Add the chopped broccoli. Cover and let it steam for 2–3 minutes, then uncover and stir.
6. Keep it boiling for about 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pasta is al dente and most of the broth is gone.
7. Turn the heat down and stir in the heavy cream.
8. Add 2–3 cups shredded cheddar and stir until smooth.
9. Serve it hot.

Time and Servings

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Total time: 40 minutes
• Servings: 6

Real cooking time after the broth hits a boil is about 10–13 minutes. The rest is browning the beef and waiting on the broth.

Tips

Stir while the pasta cooks. Not constantly, but often enough that nothing sticks to the bottom and the ditalini cooks evenly.

Pull it off the boil when the pasta is al dente and most of the broth is absorbed. Not all of it. The cream and cheese need a little liquid to melt into.

Cheese amount is your call: 2 cups gives you a creamy sauce, 3 cups gives you a pan that pulls into strings. I go to 3.

Season the beef itself, halfway through browning. Seasoning only at the end never tastes the same.

Variations

Pepper jack instead of cheddar. Worth trying. A little heat, and it melts just as well.

Swap the broccoli for spinach. Fine, but it wilts fast, so it goes in right at the end instead of the steam step.

Skip the cream and use milk. I wouldn’t. The sauce comes out thin and the cheese has nothing rich to melt into.

Make-Ahead and Leftovers

This one doesn’t wait well. The pasta keeps drinking the sauce as it sits, and by the next day it’s thick and a bit sticky. Make it fresh.

Leftovers: fridge, airtight container. Reheat in a pan with a splash of broth or milk, stirring until loose again. I’d skip freezing it. A cream and cheese sauce can turn grainy after thawing.

FAQ

Closing Thoughts

This is a heavy, rich dinner, so put something sharp next to it. A cucumber salad with plenty of vinegar, or just a handful of pickles on the plate. It cuts through the cream and makes the second bowl easier to talk yourself into.

Kima

One Pan Cheesy Beef and Broccoli Ditalini

Ground beef, ditalini and broccoli cooked in one pan, finished with heavy cream and a lot of shredded cheddar. Ready in about 40 minutes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ditalini pasta
• 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 cup fresh broccoli chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Cowboy Butter seasoning to taste
• pepper to taste
• Easy Onion seasoning optional

Method

 

1. Cook the ground beef in a large pan. Halfway through, season with Cowboy Butter seasoning and pepper, or your preferred seasonings. Add Easy Onion if desired.
2. Once the beef is fully cooked, drain some of the grease, leaving a little in the pan.
3. Add the ditalini and toss with the beef for a couple of minutes.
4. Pour in the beef broth and bring to a boil.
5. Add the chopped broccoli. Cover and let steam for 2-3 minutes, then uncover and stir.
6. Continue boiling for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and most of the broth has been absorbed.
7. Reduce the heat and stir in the heavy cream.
8. Add 2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese and stir until smooth.
9. Serve hot.

Notes

• Cooking time is about 10-13 minutes after the broth comes to a boil, plus the time to brown the beef and bring the broth to a boil.
• Season the beef itself, halfway through browning.
• Leave a little grease in the pan after draining.
• Stir occasionally while the pasta cooks so it cooks evenly.
• Use 2 cups of cheddar for a creamy sauce or 3 cups for a cheesier pan.
• The pasta should be al dente with most of the broth absorbed before the cream and cheese go in.