Fusilli (Pasta) Beef Skillet

This is a fast, no-frills skillet dinner that delivers cheesy, saucy comfort with barely any cleanup. Browned ground beef gets simmered with pasta sauce and a splash of hot sauce for a little kick, then fusilli and cheese go in to finish.

The corkscrew shape of fusilli is doing real work here; all those ridges and spirals grab and hold the sauce, so every bite comes well coated instead of slipping off. A quick stir-in of cheese at the end melts into the sauce and pulls the whole skillet together.

It’s the kind of meal you can have on the table in about the time it takes the pasta to boil.

Kitchen Tips

• Drain the browned beef if it’s fatty, so the sauce doesn’t turn greasy.
• Add the hot sauce to taste; start small and build the heat to where you like it.
• Stir the cheese in off high heat so it melts smooth instead of seizing into clumps.

Variations

• Add green olives with pimento, as the recipe suggests, for a briny pop.
• Stir in sauteed peppers, onions, or mushrooms.
• Swap the beef for Italian sausage or ground turkey.