Cheesy Ground Beef Pasta Skillet - The Midnight Baker - Easy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to cook ground beef in a skillet? ›

Use a marinade: Marinate the ground beef in a flavorful liquid such as Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, or red wine before cooking. Add a flavorful liquid: Add a small amount of beef broth, tomato sauce, or red wine to the ground beef while it cooks to add extra flavor.

On most stove tops, browning a pound of ground beef takes approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Remember, it's important to continue stirring and breaking the pieces into the same size with the wooden spoon or heatproof spatula so the ground beef cooks evenly.

The calcium-rich properties of milk react with enzymes in the meat to gently soften the proteins. Whole milk (not reduced fat), buttermilk, and yogurt all get the job done – with a special nod to buttermilk and yogurt for their optimal tenderizing acidity levels.

According to SunFed Ranch, marinating beef in milk creates a lightly acidic bath for the meat, tenderizing it without breaking down its proteins too much. The calcium in the milk reacts with the enzymes in the meat to gently soften the proteins, facilitating another tenderizing process.

Once the skillet is hot, add the diced onions and cook until they become translucent and slightly caramelized. Then, crumble the ground beef into the skillet and cook until it is browned and cooked through, stirring occasionally to break up any clumps.

Because doneness and safety cannot be judged by color, it is very important to use a food thermometer when cooking ground beef. To be sure all harmful bacteria are destroyed, cook all ground beef products to an internal temperature of 160 °F throughout. Ground beef can be pink inside after it is safely cooked.

Season the Ground Beef

When it comes to seasoning your ground beef, wait until after it has been browned and drained. Adding salt to raw ground beef pulls out moisture, drying the meat out and creating steam while it cooks, which prevents it from browning properly.

Use salt and pepper to season ground beef, turkey, or pork. Add garlic, onions, bell peppers, oregano, basil, parsley, or Italian seasoning for extra flavor. Stir red pepper flakes, chili powder, or hot sauce into the meat for a spicy kick.

When to season ground beef? ›

Seasoned Ground Beef: A Picture Guide

Step 1: Add the ground beef to a hot, heavy bottomed pan. Step 2: After the beef has cooked for 3-5 minutes, add the salt. Step 3: Once the fat has rendered, add in the spice mixture.

Simply add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to 1 pound of ground beef for more tender meat with better browning.

If you're working with a nonstick pan, you may not need to add any additional oil. The natural fat from the ground beef will help the meat brown and prevent it from sticking. If you prefer, you can add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan before adding the beef.

Most beef doesn't have enough fat that would render quickly, particularly when you are sauteing. The addition of oil helps the heat transfer happen evenly and since it's hot, the Maillard Reaction gets a nice jump start. The addition of butter also flavors the beef and also helps other herbs to season the meat.

Cooking it is fairly straight-forward. All you need is a skillet, a bit of oil and salt to turn ground beef into browned, juicy crumbles to use in dinner recipes.