Creamy with a hint of spice, this Korean fusion recipe, Orecchiette Pasta with Beef and Peas, gets dinner on the table in 30 minutes!
A slightly spicy spin on a traditional pasta and peas classic, this pasta with ground beef is practically comfort in a bowl.
Why You’ll Love This Beefy Orecchiette Pasta
This orecchiette recipe is like a fun Korean fusion of sorts. Instead of making a traditional tomato sauce for this pasta, we use tomato paste with gouchjang. This recipe is a great way to change things up from your typical tomato sauce pasta.
This orecchiette pasta takes under 30 minutes to make so you can quickly and easily get this on the table when in a time crunch. Even better, we use frozen peas for this as it’s more budget-friendly and easier to work with.
To make this, you’ll need Gochujang (고추장), aka hot pepper paste. It might be labelled as red pepper paste as well due to translations of the labels. This fermented paste adds a delicious spiciness and sweetness (spiciness/sweetness levels vary between brands) to the dish that it’s added to. You can find this online on Amazon or at your local Korean supermarket. In Toronto, I go to Galleria.
I love using orecchiette for this orecchiette beef pasta recipe. They’re like the perfect little cups that hold the sauce, beef, and peas perfectly!
What You’ll Need
- orecchiette — or pasta of your choice if you don’t find orecchiette.
- olive oil
- onion — yellow onion is fine but you can also use sweet onion if you’d like.
- salt
- ground beef — I prefer using lean round beef as it means I don’t have to drain the beef when cooking.
- garlic — I like to mince my garlic for this but you can use garlic powder if you don’t have any fresh garlic.
- tomato paste
- Gochujang
- peas — frozen or fresh works but I prefer frozen for this
How To Make This Sweet but Spicy Orecchiette Beef Pasta
- In medium to large pot, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your orecchiette until al dente. My box suggests 9-12 minutes and I prefer cooking it to 9 minutes. Set aside a cup of pasta water if you finish cooking the pasta before it’s ready to be used.
- While the pasta is cooking, on medium heat in a sauté pan, sauté the diced onions (seasoned with salt) for 2-3 minutes, before adding the ground beef, more salt, and garlic.
- Cook the ground beef until it is almost cooked through, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go along, before adding in the tomato paste and gochujang.
- Stir to combine before adding a cup of pasta water and continue to stir, letting the liquid simmer. After the liquid as cooked down to your directed thickness, add in the orecchiette and peas. Stir to combine. I like my liquid to be just thick enough to coat my pasta.
- Serve immediately.
Recipe Variations
- don’t have peas? try frozen corn
- don’t have beef? try ground pork or ground turkey
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: once cooled, store the cooked pasta in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. To reheat, pop it in a microwave. If you are reheating it on the stovetop, I suggest adding a splash of water to the pan.
- Freezer: allow the pasta and peas to cool before transferring them into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer. It can last for up to 3 months.
Tips and Notes
- If you don’t use lean ground beef, you’ll have to drain the fat in the pan after the beef is cooked.
- Did you know that tomato paste is freezer-friendly? If you open a can and don’t use it all, transfer the tomato paste into an ice cube tray and freeze it for later.
- I use this pot from Zwilling to easily drain my pasta with and it automatically reserves some pasta water for me so that I won’t accidentally pour it down the drain!
Orecchiette Pasta with Beef and Peas
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a medium to large pot, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your orecchiette until al dente. Set aside a cup of pasta water if you finish cooking the pasta before it’s ready to be used.
- While the pasta is cooking, on medium heat in a sauté pan, sauté the diced onions (seasoned with 1 tsp salt) for 2-3 minutes, before adding the ground beef, 1 tsp salt, and garlic.
- Cook the ground beef until it is almost cooked through, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go along, before adding in the tomato paste and gochujang.
- Stir to combine before adding a cup of pasta water and continue to stir, letting the liquid simmer. After the liquid has cooked down to your directed thickness, add in the orecchiette and peas. Stir to combine. I like my liquid to be just thick enough to coat my pasta.
- Serve immediately or allow to cool and store in the fridge.
Nutrition Per Serving
SIMILAR RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE
- Bacon, Mushroom, Spinach Pasta
- Cold Chicken Spinach Pasta Salad
- Butter Garlic Miso Noodles with Mushrooms
- Spicy Soy Garlic Butter Noodles
- One Pot Chicken, Broccoli, and Peas Pasta
- Mozzarella Chicken
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