Description
This Creamy Velveeta Spaghetti with Italian Beef Marinara is a comforting and flavorful dish combining savory ground beef, rich Velveeta cheese, and tangy marinara sauce. Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s a perfect weeknight meal that delivers creamy, cheesy pasta with the robust taste of Italian seasoning.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic. Cook until softened and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Cook ground beef: Add ground beef to the skillet. Break it up with a spoon and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Drain excess grease to reduce fat content.
- Season beef: Season the beef with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir everything to combine well and evenly distribute the flavors.
- Add marinara sauce: Pour in the marinara sauce and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors and heat the sauce thoroughly.
- Incorporate Velveeta cheese: Add Velveeta cubes to the sauce and stir continuously until the cheese melts completely and the sauce becomes creamy and smooth. Lower heat to avoid burning the cheese.
- Cook spaghetti: In a separate pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Combine pasta and sauce: Add the cooked spaghetti directly to the creamy beef cheese sauce in the skillet. Toss well to coat the pasta evenly with the sauce.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle chopped parsley on top for freshness and color, then serve the creamy Velveeta spaghetti hot.
Notes
- For a lighter version, use lean ground beef or substitute with ground turkey.
- If Velveeta is unavailable, a combination of processed cheese and cream cheese can be used to achieve similar creaminess.
- Adjust seasoning by adding crushed red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
- Reserve some pasta water to loosen the sauce if it becomes too thick when mixing with spaghetti.
- Chopped parsley adds freshness but can be omitted if not available.
