Beef and Bell Pepper Spaghetti. A super easy meat sauce with green peppers. A hearty, cozy pasta that’s ideal for a weeknight family meal, but will also work great when you have friends over for dinner. It’s deliciously packed with tender stewed peppers, ground beef, a bright tomato sauce and some red pepper flakes. Extraordinarily simple and minimalistic, but very satisfying.
Why This Beef and Bell Pepper Spaghetti Recipe Works
It’s a thick sauce packed with ground beef, some spices and bell peppers. The crushed tomatoes together with tomato paste gives it an extra intense flavor and you’ll definitely like the touch of smoked paprika in this dish. We also throw in a little ground cumin, coriander and curry powder, this may sound a little weird, but it will give you a nice taste without knowing where it came from. If you’d rather stick with traditional flavors, go for some Italian seasonings like oregano and thyme. This simple meaty sauce hits all the requirements for a weeknight dinner: easy, versatile, and cooks in about thirty minutes.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO or follow along on YouTube.
Helpful Tips
- Swap beef for ground pork or chicken.
- Use any type of your favorite pasta like linguine, capellini, bucatini,…
Storage
- Storing: Pop any leftovers into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer Friendly: Freeze in airtight containers and enjoy within 3 months.
- Reheating: When you’re ready to savor those delicious leftovers, gently reheat them in a saucepan over low heat. Enjoy!
More easy pasta, please!
Cooking Video: How to Make Beef and Bell Pepper Spaghetti
Beef and Bell Pepper Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 9 ounces spaghetti
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 small green bell peppers diced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (400 ml/14 oz) crushed tomatoes 400 ml/14 oz crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
spices
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Get all the prep done before you start cooking: mince the garlic, finely chop the onion and dice the bell peppers.
- Heat oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, sauté for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add onion and garlic, cook for 5 minutes. Lower the heat if the peppers start to char.
- Add ground beef, break up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, and cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle, 6 minutes. Stir in spices, tomato paste and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes, reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.
- In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of generously salted boiling water, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water.
- Add some cooking water to the sauce if it thickens too much. Stir in chopped parsley. Adjust salt and pepper to your own taste. Remove from the heat and toss with spaghetti. Enjoy!
This was beyond delicious! I used ground bison and diced fire roasted tomatoes because it’s what I had available, but I adhered to the recipe otherwise. So, so yummy and it will be made again and again. Thank you for the recipe!
That’s so nice to hear! I’m really glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for giving it a try!
I followed each ingredient and added minced mushroom and more minced garlic. Definitely helped the earthy savory flavor. I’ll be sending a picture to you shortly of the finished product. Thank you!
I diced chicken breast, added a bit of sugar, and used spaghetti sauce instead of the tomato paste. Still really good and hearty
So glad you enjoyed Kylah!
This caught my eye, as I needed to use a bunch of small green peppers from the garden and was
Then intrigued by the curry and cardamom. Easy, quick., different. My husband thought it was even better the next day 😉
Thanks for making Cindy!
A superb dish!
Thank you Nicola!
I had cut up bell peppers and onions with plans to make a philly cheesesteak casserole. My son didn’t want that so I told him if he finds me a different recipe using the peppers onions and hamburger I would make it. He found this recipe. I like it so much I’ve made it three times already!
Yay!! It makes me so happy to hear that Michelle!
I followed each ingredient and added minced mushroom and more minced garlic. Definitely helped the earthy savory flavor.
So glad you enjoyed Shirley!