Quick and Easy Pasta with Beef Sauce is exactly how it sounds, quick and easy. It is also a go-to weeknight meal for my family.

Happy September 1st and Labor Day! I am ready for some cooler weather and Fall season. Are you ready?

I love fall colors, but every season carries special beauty and scenery. With that being said, HELLO comfort food!

Do you look forward to holiday meals? Oh! Sweet potato and pumpkin pies, roasted chestnuts, apple strudels or pies always taste better in the Fall.

I am definitely making myself drool right this moment.  

Click Here for fantastic recipes with beef

When it comes to family dinners, pasta always wins everybody! It is one more “to go” meals without much work. I love to cook, don’t get me wrong!

95 percent of the time my meals are from scratch and made with fresh ingredients, but sometimes shortcuts are necessary, especially if you have a busy household.

After talking to a few moms, I realized that it is okay if we use from time to time something that is not “homemade” and turns one dish in an extraordinary tasting meal.

We all been there, and done that, right?!

Around every dinner, it can get a bit hectic, at least at my house. School homework needs to get done, and after work, you just want to rest.

However, before everything dinner has to be served, so I did use sauce from the jar. Shock! Right? Guess what?

I don’t regret it, because it always tastes fantastic, and it saved me a whole lot of time!

Now, choosing the sauce, I really don’t have a right to say you should eat one particular brand because most of the time I purchase what is on the sale.

Click here for more amazing pasta recipes

However, I enjoyed a few brands that my kids won’t fuss about.

They really don’t like pasta sauces with chunks in them, and I am the same way.

I love tomatoes, but I don’t like cooking chunks so I get smooth in texture that goes so well with sauteed beef.

But if I pick up the sauce by accident that is chunky, I process it in the food processor to smooth constancy and texture before adding it to the sauteed ground beef.

Also, I have a secret ingredient that pulls that jarred sauce together. It might be strange, but it gives me personally extra kick and sweetness that I love so much.

This makes an amazing dinner. You can make it for Valentine’s Day, or even surprise your other half for the anniversary.

If you try Quick and Easy Pasta with Beef Sauce please tag me on Instagram.

@sandraseasycooking using #sandraseasycooking hashtag. Thank you so much for all your support!

Yield: 6 SERVINGS

Quick and Easy Pasta with Beef Sauce

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When it comes to family dinners, pasta always wins everybody! It is one more “to go” meals without much work. I love to cook, don’t get me wrong! 95 percent of the time my meals are from scratch and made with fresh ingredients, but sometimes shortcuts are necessary, especially if you have a busy household.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb Linguine, 1 pack or any pasta on hand
• 1/2 tbsp. Olive oil + a drizzle more
• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1/2 tbsp. Onion Powder, or 1/4 chopped (SAUTE FIRST)
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• 1 Jar, 24 FL Oz Pasta sauce (marinara, beef, or any of your favorite)
• 1 tbsp. Ketchup
• Garnish with cheese, if desired

Instructions

1. Drop pasta in boiling salted water. Cook according to the package, usually 8-10 min. for me is perfect.
2. Meanwhile, in the saute pan, add olive oil. Once heated, add diced onion and saute for a couple of minutes, then add ground beef and try to break it into smaller pieces. Saute until completely done and there are no more bloody chunks visible, discard leftover oil *read notes* If you are using onion powder you may skip "sauteing onions".
3. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and Italian dry herbs. Mix well. (at this time you may add any other seasonings such as onion powder)
4. Pour over Pasta sauce, and add ketchup; stir until bubbly, cover and let it cook for a few more minutes. Turn off the heat, stir and cover again until ready to be served.
5. Drain pasta in the colander, no need to wash it. Put it back into a pot and add drizzle with olive oil. Toss it and it’s ready to be served.
6. You may add cheese on the side if you desire as well as crunchy bread. Garnish it with fresh or dry herbs.

Notes

Leftovers: Store it in an airtight container with well-fitting lid for up to 3 days. I don’t like to keep food for more than 3 days. Reheat well before eating again.

Between powder and fresh onion, I prefer fresh garlic because it does taste better, but it’s up to you. My family does not like chunks in their pasta sauce at all so I use powder.

I like using ground beef with 80/20, and take out half of the grease. However, if you are sing Angus beef or less fatty I would definitely add more olive oil.

I add ketchup because it adds a hint of sweetness. We love it! You do not have to add ketchup but is amazing.

You can use any pasta on hand, Spaghetti or fettuccine would work just fine. Adda generous amount of salt in the water when you cook pasta. I like also drizzling pasta with olive oil after I drain all the water out. Then I mix it to coat everything well.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 481Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 704mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 32g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate due to automatic calculation, however, we try our best. Thank you!

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

The small things make me happy, mostly things that are related to my family of 5 or email from a friend, or perhaps a reader who made your recipe. Those things make my heart full of joy.

You know that makes you say “awww” and you find yourself with that smile ear to ear, I just love it! However, food has been my family, friend, and long life companion, so food does make me happy, especially bowlful of these happy noodles covered with black bean sauce. 

I try not to eat it often, but every once in a while you have a special craving for it. If you never tried this popular Korean takeout adopted from China, then you have to try it! 

I wished many times that I made childhood memories with it, but heck, it’s never too late to make adult memories…
It might look not as appealing on the first look, but you would be really surprised by the taste. 

My husband loves them as well as my oldest son, but unlike my daughter and I, the boys don’t like potatoes in this dish so I’ve made them numerous times without it, or I would just smash the potatoes so they cannot see or taste it while eating.

It’s not like they don’t like potatoes, it is quite the contrary, they love potatoes, but just in Jjajangmyun both of them agreed that it doesn’t go well with their taste buds.

I love adding different ingredients regardless of what is the most authentic recipe, I mean we all need to suit the taste of our loved ones, right?! 

So, I made it with the chicken, smoked meat, bacon, and of course most popular Pork belly. Each taste just a little bit different in its own way, but nevertheless it never lost the aroma and deliciousness. 

The recipe is quite simple, not complicated at all, so why don’t you try and see for yourself? All ingredients are available in your Korean (Asian) Market, or International Stores, as well you can look up online too.

Now, I gave you what my family likes and dislikes… Of course, I love it anyway, I make it, and this recipe I picked up from my friend a few years ago, so it is kind of close to being authentic with a little twist of my own.  

Please read the notes, because I will explain why I used certain ingredients!

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Black Bean Noodles -Jjajangmyeon (Jajang-myan)

Black Bean Noodles -Jjajangmyeon (Jajang-myan) 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese, Korean

Keyword pasta, asian, korean chinese, noodles

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 4

Author Sandra | Sandra’s Easy Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs. Vegetable oil
• 4 Tbs. Black Bean Paste

Meat:

• ½  Cup Smoked Pork Jowl Jowl bacon
• ½  Lb. Pork boneless ribs cut into smaller cubes

Vegetables:

• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 Garlic Cloves smashed and minced
• 2 Cups Cabbage roughly chopped
• 2 Potatoes peeled and cut into smaller cubes
• 1 zucchini cut into smaller cubes (or you can use 1 smaller Korean white radish)

Liquid and seasoning:

• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
• ½ Cup Water
• Pinch of Salt
• ½ Tbs. Sugar

Thickening agent:

• 1 Tbs. Flour/or Corn starch/or potato starch mixed with 5 Tbs. Water or just enough to be able to dissolve the starch for thickening the sauce

Noodles and Garnish:

• 1 Lb. Noodles cooked and washed under cold/iced water (preferably Korean Noodles for jjajangmyun)
• 1 small Korean cucumber cut into matchsticks for garnish
• Sesame Seeds for garnish and taste
• Drizzle with Sesame oil *if desired

Instructions

1. In a pot/pan/wok, add oil; preheat oil until sizzling then add the black bean paste, stir continuously for a minute or two. You will see that the black bean paste starts to curl and separate from the fat. After that, with the spoon, take it out and discard the rest of the fat. Wipe off the greasy pot/wok.
2. Cut all the ingredients, and place them on the plate close by. Start with Smoked Pork Jowl, saute in the pan/wok for a minute or two, just when it starts to release the fat, add boneless pork ribs, season with a pinch of salt; stir until done. Take it out on the paper-towel and spill the rest of the fat, leaving behind just a glossy oily pan/wok.
3. In the same pan/wok, add vegetables, (one by one, not all at once) starting with onion, saute for a few minutes, then add garlic, stir, then add other vegetables stir for a minute each before adding the other vegetable, cook/stir fry for a good 5 minutes.
4. Return cooked pork in the pot/wok with the vegetables and stir, add Chicken stock and Water with the addition of salt if needed and sugar -stir. Cover and let it boil, then add the fried black bean paste, stir well and simmer on medium heat until all the vegetables are tender and cooked through. Add more water if necessary!!!!
5. Meanwhile, cook noodles, rinse or drop in the iced water, drain in the colander.
6. Once the vegetables are done, add thickening ingredients, a little bit at the time stir and add until it is thick enough but still liquid and in a sauce consistency.
7. Take it off and serve it over noodles (or rice) and add sesame seeds as well as cucumbers. You can serve it with pickled radish and extra onions/perhaps boiled or fried egg or simply whatever you feel like putting over as a garnish.

Recipe Notes

I used pork boneless ribs because it’s tender, it has a meaty part as well as fatty so it was just a perfect match. After tasting and making this dish so many times, I didn’t like bacon as regular bacon, so tried to substitute pork belly and bacon with smoked pork jowl which is also very inexpensive. It gives a wonderful taste as well as the aroma. Everything should be cut equally if possible, small cubes as a smaller than a ½ inch. This is my version, however, a friend taught me how doing it her way, and over the years I experimented and this is what my family likes. If you are NOT porking eater substitute with chicken or minced beef. I tried with both… Experimenting with different ingredients always gives you more options to enjoy any dish. If you are NOT meat eater substitute with tofu YES, you can serve black bean sauce over rice!!! Since Black bean paste is quite bitter, it is best not to skip the frying part.

From leftovers, you can make a great dinner!

I don’t like to dump food in the trash, and most of the time I just keep it for a few days in the fridge until I figure out what I can use it for.

I tent to make always too much pasta, so this kind of dinners often find a place on my dining room table.

During the week I made pasta twice. Then, surprisingly we bought two rotisserie chickens that we didn’t finish.

My slow cooker sure makes a grand entry back to the kitchen when I have a whole chicken. I can make the most amazing bone broth after 16-18 hours of slow cooking.

Anyhow, this lunch or dinner is done in no time. My family absolutely loved it. 

I am lucky that all my kids love peas, cheese, chicken and pasta. Put everything together, bake and there you go, dinner on the table that no kid would refuse to eat. You can switch and/or add any veggie of your choice.

What I love about this is that it’s nice and creamy, a perfect combination of flavor. I did use Ragu Double Cheddar Cheese from the Jar, but I also made a base sauce which was perfect.

It is really optional so you may use one or the other. Also, like I said on my notes, you may use other veggies or no veggies at all, chicken or no chicken.

You can design this meal to please your own preferences. Cooking is about enjoying the process and experimenting what works the best.

One of my favorite pasta dishes CHICKEN FETTUCCINE ALFREDO

I know what you gonna say, but my son loves Ragu cheese as much as he loves ketchup. So, if that will make him eat more veggies I am all for it.

Those are two products “must have” in my fridge. So here what we made with things that we found in my fridge.

That beautiful ceramic bakeware is from Xtrema.

If you make them, please tag me on Instagram @sandraseasycooking and make sure to use hashtag #sandraseasycooking so I could see your delicious creations

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Yield: Serves 6

Baked Pasta with Chicken Casserole

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Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb Macaroni type of pasta Any smaller pasta could do
• 1 1/2 cup Rotisserie Chicken, pull apart white and dark meat, skinless
• 1 cup Frozen Peas or any vegetables; broccoli or similar
• 1 cup Ragu Cheese Double Sauce optional
• Cheese Sauce
• 2 tablespoons unsalted Butter
• 1/4 tablespoon Guar Gum or similar you may use flour, Xanthan gum, etc.
• 6 oz Half & Half
• 1/2 cup Milk more if needed
• 8 oz Shredded Cheese I used Tillamook Mexican Blend
• 3 slices Fontina Cheese or any cheese that melts well, like mozzarella
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 Dash Salt or to TASTE
• Garnish:
• 1 cup Fried Onion Rings optional
• 1 tablespoon Chopped Parsley optional
• 2 slices Bacon, crispy and chopped optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven on 375 F

Cheese Sauce

1. Heat a skillet or a frying pan and add butter. When butter melts add a thickener like flour. I had Guar Gum so I used that.
2. As you add a thickener, mix it with a wooden spoon until the texture is smooth. At the same time start adding liquid – half and half/heavy whipped cream and milk. 
3. Keep mixing into circular motion until smooth. 
4. Add cheese and mix until the sauce is formed. If you need more milk or cream just add to make it more liquidy.
5. In a separate large bowl combine pasta, chicken, peas. Mix well. 
6. Pour cheese sauce and ragu double cheese over the pasta mixture. You do not have to add ragu cheese but it tastes really good if you can find it in your store. 
7. Now, add everything to the baking dish. Pack it very well, then add a handful of shredded cheese on top. 
8. Bake for about 20 minutes in preheated oven, then add fried onions and bake for an additional 10 minutes. It is optional so you do not have to add fried onions.
9. **Cook some bacon and chop it and sprinkle on the top. A great addition to this casserole.
10. **Sprinkle some chopped Italian Parsley.

Notes

You can use any types of pasta for this dish as long as it’s precooked.

Chicken can be grilled, sauteed or baked before combining it with pasta.

You may use any vegetables that you desire. Peas are a great addition to this dish.

You DO NOT have to add any vegetables. If you don’t like it, then you do not have to add any additional vegetables. You can serve it on the side.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest