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If you have seen this recipe all over social media as “easy cheesy pasta,” the hype is real. When we tried it, my family called it the Cadillac of hamburger helper or a lasagna-style dish. It is rich, creamy, savory, and much more impressive than you would expect from a 30-minute skillet dinner. I guess 100 million views doesn’t lie!

ground beef and pasta recipe with rotini in creamy tomato cream cheese sauce

What makes this recipe perfectly delicious is melting cream cheese right into the pasta sauce before adding the rotini. This turns a basic jarred sauce into something velvety and smooth that covers every piece of pasta. Broiling mozzarella on top gives you that bubbly, golden cheese pull you see in all the videos.

If you love this kind of easy ground beef skillet dinner, we also have a Hamburger Helper Lasagna that uses a similar one-pan method, and our viral Beef Tortellini is another crowd-pleaser worth keeping in your weeknight rotation.

Ingredients for Easy Cheesy Pasta

1 lb ground beef
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 jar (24 oz) pasta sauce
1 block (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 package (12 oz) rotini pasta, cooked and drained
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Chopped fresh parsley, optional for serving

viral cheesy pasta with ground beef showing cheese pull from cast iron skilletviral cheesy pasta with ground beef showing cheese pull from cast iron skillet

How to Make Easy Cheesy Pasta with Ground Beef

In an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, stirring and breaking it apart until no longer pink.

Drain the grease and keep the beef in the skillet. Add garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper directly to the beef and stir to combine.

seasonings for easy cheesy pasta including garlic powder onion powder Italian seasoning salt and black pepper

Add the cream cheese and pasta sauce, then keep heating over medium-low. Stir often until the cream cheese melts completely and the sauce is smooth. This step is key, so take your time and keep the heat low.

Slow cooking here gives you a silky, even sauce.

viral recipe pasta with ground beef and cream cheese sauce being poured into skillet

viral instagram pasta recipe cheesy ground beef rotini with broiled mozzarella in skillet

Mix in the cooked rotini until every piece is coated. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly on top and broil for 2 to 5 minutes, watching carefully, until the cheese is bubbly and melted.

Add fresh parsley if you like and serve right from the skillet.

all in one pan easy cheesy pasta dinner with ground beef and mozzarella

The Cream Cheese Is the Whole Secret

Most ground beef pasta dishes use jarred sauce as is, and that works fine. But adding a full block of softened cream cheese before the pasta makes this taste like it simmered all day.

The cream cheese melts into the tomato sauce, adding body, richness, and a subtle tang that balances the acidity. Take your cream cheese out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Cold cream cheese melts slowly and can leave lumps in the sauce.

What Pasta Works Best in This Recipe

Rotini works best here because its spirals hold onto the creamy sauce. Penne, shells, and rigatoni are also good choices. Any short pasta with texture or ridges will hold the sauce better than smooth shapes.

Avoid long pasta like spaghetti, as it does not carry the sauce as well and is harder to handle in a skillet.

100 million views viral easy cheesy pasta with ground beef in a skillet

Cook your pasta until it is just al dente before adding it to the skillet. The pasta will keep soaking up sauce, so taking it off the heat a minute early helps prevent it from getting mushy by the time you serve.

No Ovenproof Skillet? Use a 9×13 Instead.

If you do not have an ovenproof skillet, you can use a deep 9×13 baking dish instead. Prepare everything on the stovetop up to the pasta step, then move the mixture to your baking dish, top with mozzarella, and broil as usual. You will get the same result, just with one more dish to clean.

Easy Swaps and Variations

Protein: Ground turkey or ground Italian sausage both work in place of beef. Sausage adds an extra layer of seasoning that plays well with the Italian-style sauce.

Pasta sauce: Use whatever your family likes. Tomato basil, marinara, or even a Vodka sauce all work.

Extra cheese: A handful of Parmesan stirred into the sauce before you add the pasta is also delicious.

Vegetables: Diced bell pepper or baby spinach stirred in just before you add the pasta are easy additions that don’t change the character of the dish.

easy cheesy pasta with ground beef close up showing bubbly broiled mozzarella cheese topping with parsley

Make Ahead and Storage

You can make this dish ahead up to the pasta step. Stop before adding the cheese and broiling, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. When you are ready to serve, move it to an ovenproof skillet or baking dish, top with mozzarella, and broil until bubbly. Since the pasta absorbs liquid as it sits, add a splash of water or extra sauce before reheating to loosen it up.

Leftovers reheat well on the stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of broth or water. You can also use the microwave in 60-second intervals, stirring between each. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

simple dinner recipe cheesy ground beef pasta skillet with broiled mozzarella

What Goes Well with Cheesy Ground Beef Pasta

Garlic bread is always a great choice and perfect for scooping up extra sauce. A simple green salad with Italian dressing adds freshness to balance the richness.

If you are in the mood for more comfort food, try our Cheeseburger Casserole for another hearty ground beef dinner that is perfect for nights when everyone wants something filling and familiar.

Easy Cheesy Pasta with Ground Beef