Beef And Broccoli Pasta Bake
This beef and broccoli pasta is a creamy, cheesy dinner that bakes together in one dish, no boiling water and no separate pot of pasta required. Seasoned ground beef, raw pasta, and fresh broccoli go straight into a 9×13 with beef broth and milk, then get finished with sharp cheddar and parmesan for a dinner that tastes like way more effort than it actually takes.
If you’ve made my dump and bake chicken broccoli cheddar pasta, this is that same easy formula but beef and broccoli. Same one dish method, same weeknight energy, different protein for the nights ground beef is what’s actually in your fridge.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Cooking the pasta directly in the broth and milk is the whole trick here. It releases starch as it bakes, which thickens the liquid into a genuinely creamy sauce with zero roux, zero stirring a pot on the stove, and zero extra dishes. Add sharp cheddar and parmesan at the end, and you’ve got beef and broccoli pasta that tastes like it came from a much fussier recipe, but the instructions are super simple!
Browning the beef with garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, and a splash of coconut aminos before it goes in the dish means the seasoning is built into every bite instead of sitting on top. That coconut aminos trick is a small thing that does a lot of quiet work, adding a savory depth that plain salt and pepper can’t touch.
And broccoli goes in raw. No blanching, no separate steaming step. It roasts right alongside everything else and comes out tender with just enough bite.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the seasoned beef:
- Ground beef: the protein base. Any lean percentage works, though 85/15 gives you the best flavor without excess grease.
- Garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning: the everyday seasoning trio that makes ground beef taste like it’s trying. You only need about 1 tsp of each!
- Smoked paprika: adds warmth and a little smoky depth.
- Coconut aminos: a soy sauce alternative that brings savory, almost umami depth to the beef. Regular soy sauce works as a swap if that’s what’s in your pantry.
- Fresh cloves garlic: added at the end of browning so it stays fragrant instead of bitter.
For the pasta:
- Short pasta like rotini, rigatoni or penne: shapes with ridges and pockets catch the cheese sauce best. Penne pasta and ground beef is a genuinely classic pairing for a reason.
- Broccoli: cut into small florets so it cooks through in the same time as the pasta.
- Beef bone broth: the cooking liquid, and bone broth adds richness plus a little extra protein.
- Whole milk: works with the broth to build the creamy sauce as the pasta absorbs it.
- Sharp cheddar and parmesan: freshly shredded and grated melt so much better than the pre-shredded bag kind, which is coated in anti-caking starch that resists melting smoothly.
How to make this beef and broccoli pasta
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Brown the ground beef in a pan. Once it’s almost cooked through, add the garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, coconut aminos, and fresh garlic. Cook 1 to 2 more minutes.
Step 2: Add the uncooked pasta (no need to boil), seasoned beef, raw broccoli, bone broth, milk, and remaining seasonings directly to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Stir really well, making sure the pasta is mostly submerged in the liquid.
Step 3: Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and stir. If the pasta is still too firm and most of the liquid is absorbed, add about 1/4 cup more broth, re-cover, and bake 5 to 10 more minutes.
Step 4: Once the pasta is tender, stir in the cheddar and parmesan to the beef and broccoli mixture. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Step 5: For a golden top, sprinkle extra cheddar over everything and broil 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 6: Let it sit about 5 minutes before serving so the sauce thickens.
Recipe Tips
- Cover tightly. This is a dump and bake pasta, which means the pasta cooks entirely by absorbing hot liquid under foil. A loose cover lets steam escape and you’ll end up with undercooked pasta and too much leftover broth.
- Check at the 30 minute mark, not before. Opening the oven early lets heat escape and slows everything down. Trust the timer, then peek.
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheddar is coated in cellulose to prevent clumping in the bag, and that same coating keeps it from melting into a smooth sauce. Five minutes with a box grater makes a real difference here.
- Let it rest. The sauce looks loose straight out of the oven and tightens up beautifully after five minutes. Skipping the rest gets you a soupier plate.
What to serve with beef and broccoli pasta
This is genuinely a complete meal with protein, pasta, and vegetables all in the same dish. If you’re rounding it out, garlic bread is the obvious choice for sauce mopping, and a simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette cuts the richness nicely. For more comfort food energy on the table, my chicken alfredo bake makes a great second casserole if you’re feeding a crowd with mixed protein preferences.
Storing and reheating leftovers
This beef and broccoli pasta is one of those genuinely good pasta prep meals. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The pasta keeps absorbing sauce as it sits, so reheat with a splash of broth or milk stirred in, either in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat.
To freeze, cool completely and store portions in freezer bags or containers for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating with extra liquid to bring the sauce back to life.
frequently asked questions
Yes. Rotini and penne are named in the recipe because their ridges and tubes hold the cheese sauce well, but shells, cavatappi, or farfalle all work the same way. Stick to a short shape rather than long noodles like spaghetti, since long noodles don’t submerge and cook as evenly in a baking dish.
You can assemble the raw pasta, broccoli, seasoned beef, broth, and milk in the baking dish, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours before baking. Hold off on the cheese until baking day. If assembling more than a few hours ahead, add about 5 extra minutes of covered bake time since the dish will start cold.
Yes. Ground turkey works well here and keeps the same seasoning approach; just watch the browning step since turkey releases less fat and can stick more easily. If you’d rather build this around chicken from the start, my dump and bake chicken broccoli cheddar pasta uses the same method with a slightly different seasoning profile.
Ovens vary, and some baking dishes are deeper than others, which changes how evenly the heat and liquid distribute. Give it another 5 to 10 minutes covered, adding a splash more broth if the liquid has mostly absorbed. It should come out tender, not al dente, since this method cooks the pasta entirely in the dish.
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Dump-and-Bake Creamy Beef & Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
For the seasoned beef:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 cloves garlic minced
For the pasta:
- 12 oz uncooked short pasta like rotini or penne
- 3 cups broccoli cut into small florets
- 2 1/2 cups beef bone broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup additional cheddar for the top optional
Instructions
Enable step-by-step mode- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Once almost cooked through, add garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, coconut aminos, and fresh garlic. Cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add uncooked pasta, seasoned beef, raw broccoli, bone broth, milk, and remaining seasonings directly to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Stir really well, making sure the pasta is mostly submerged in the liquid.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and stir. Check the pasta for doneness. If it’s still too firm and most of the liquid has been absorbed, add about 1/4 cup broth, re-cover, and bake another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Once the pasta is tender, stir in the cheddar and Parmesan.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- If you want, sprinkle another 1/2 cup cheddar over the top and broil for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving so the sauce thickens.
