By Jehan Yusoof  |  Updated September 25, 2026  |  ★ 4.2 (9 reviews)  |  2 Comments.

This spicy minced beef pasta recipe is a one-pot pasta dish you can cook on a stovetop and serve straight from the stove to the dinner table. 
A beef sauce made with ground beef, onion, ginger-garlic paste, fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, spices and creamy coconut milk. A spicy pasta dish ready in just 30-40 minutes.

What readers say
Great recipe! I loved it! I used 2 lbs of meat. Also, 2 tablespoons of garlic and ginger paste. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder. Instead of ground pepper, I used 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper. I used cooking cream, but I doubled it to1 cup. I garnished it with cilantro also. I didn’t use parmesan cheese. In the end, everything turned out to be delicious! _ Simi

Ingredients for Spicy Minced Beef Pasta

You’ll find exact quantities in the recipe card below.

• Ground beef (beef mince)
• Oil: to cook the aromatics and spices. Any neutral oil available to you.
• Ginger-garlic paste: use equal parts grated fresh ginger and garlic.
• Onions: sliced thin so they become part of the sauce.
• Bay leaves
• Green chillies: add heat to the pasta.
• Red chilli powder and black pepper: adds extra spice to the sauce and pasta.
• Sugar: balances the acidity of the tomatoes
• Canned whole peeled tomatoes: helps to build a thick sauce; use freshly chopped tomatoes.
• Tomato paste: deepens the colour and thickens the meat sauce.
• Coconut milk: makes the sauce creamy and dairy-free. Substitute with cooking cream.
• A pack of rotini or penne pasta.
• Fresh basil and parmesan: You can skip the parmesan for dairy-free pasta.
• Salt to season

Tips to cook the best ground beef pasta

• If you are making the meat sauce for the first time, take your time building the flavours with each ingredient while tasting it; the meat sauce is what adds flavour to the pasta. 
• I like to use two wooden spoons to combine the meat sauce with the pasta. 
• Basil and parsley are some fresh herbs you can add at the end. I chop them so the kids can’t pick them off the pasta. 
• If you are packing it up for school or work lunch, the beef pasta needs to be cool before closing the lid of the lunch box.
• Make the minced meat sauce first, and halfway through, start boiling water to cook the pasta.
  • Keep in mind that the remaining heat after boiling the pasta and tossing it with a hot beef sauce will further cook your pasta. Make sure that it’s “al dente” or half-cooked.  

What you will need in the kitchen

• Chopping board and knife.
• Large pot with a lid to boil the pasta.
• Wok to assemble the main ingredients.

How to make Spicy ground beef pasta

PHOTO TUTORIAL

Prep work before cooking the minced beef sauce

• Remove the minced meat from the refrigerator and place it in a bowl of water to thaw. If the ground beef (minced beef) is frozen, then take it out from the freezer 30-40 minutes earlier to defrost completely.
• If you are not using canned tomatoes, then chop some fresh tomatoes (3 large)and set aside.
• Start the sauce first and put the pasta water in halfway through.

How to cook ground beef sauce for the Pasta

Place a wok or a large pan over medium heat, pour in the oil. Add the ginger-garlic paste.
Sauté for a few minutes or until they release their aroma and turn golden.
Add the sliced onions, bay leaf, green chillies and continue to cook the ingredients until the onions turn translucent.

Add red chilli powder, black pepper, and sugar. Combine for a few seconds.

Then pour in the can of peeled tomatoes (substitute with chopped tomatoes), followed by tomato paste (I have substituted with ketchup as well).

Reduce heat to low-medium, break down the peeled tomatoes. Mix all the ingredients, and season with salt.

Add the minced meat to the pan, combine all ingredients and cook for a few minutes while breaking down the meat (less than 5-7 minutes)over low-medium heat.
Taste and season with salt if necessary. 

Once you are satisfied with the flavours of the meat sauce, add the coconut milk (increase to 1 cup if you want a creamier meat sauce; you can use cooking cream as a substitute).
You can add extra chilli powder and pepper to add more spiciness to the beef pasta.

Cook for another 5 to 7 minutes over a low-medium flame, taste and season the meat sauce as needed.
The result should be a thick, meaty minced beef pasta sauce.

Boil the Pasta

Check the cooking time mentioned on the pasta package. (Usually, it’s 8 to 12 minutes).
Always use a fairly large pot; this will allow the pasta to expand as it cooks without crowding and sticking together.
Place the pan over the stove and pour in the water; you will need to fill the pan with enough water to submerge the pasta. Season with salt.
Cover the pan with a lid and bring the water to a rolling boil with increased heat.
Add the pasta to the boiling water, and stir with a wooden spoon to remove any pasta sticking together.
5 minutes into cooking the pasta, switch off the fire and let the remaining heat cook the pasta for another 2 minutes.
The pasta should be cooked at this time; immediately drain the pasta to a colander and run cold water through it to avoid overcooking the pasta.

Mix the pasta with the meat sauce

Once you have a thick meat sauce, taste again to check on flavours and add the cooked pasta to the sauce.

Use two wooden spoons to combine both ingredients, garnish with parmesan and basil.
Serve while the pasta is still warm for the best results.

More Mince and Pasta Recipes

• Coconut Curry pasta (Dairy-free)
• Red curry pasta (Thai & dairy-free)
• Tuna pasta (dairy-free coconut milk pasta)
• Spicy penne pasta (penne arrabbiata)
• Aloo keema recipe (ground beef and potato curry)
• Beef keema curry
• Red lentil-ground beef chilli (one-pot meals)
• Curry-spiced homemade sloppy joes

Lunchbox, Storage and Reheating

• To cook ahead: make the beef sauce the previous night. Let it cool for two hours and refrigerate. In the morning, reheat it until steaming, boil the pasta and toss.
• For Lunchboxes: pack it hot in a pre-heated insulated food jar, or chilled in a lunchbox with an ice pack. Let it cool if you are using a regular plastic box
• Storing: refrigerate and consume within 3 to 4 days

Spicy Ground Beef Pasta FAQ

• Is this ground beef pasta dairy-free?
  • Yes, if you skip the parmesan. The creaminess comes from coconut milk, not cream.
• How do I thaw mince quickly and safely?
  • Keep it sealed in a bag, submerge it in cold water and change the water every 30 minutes, then cook it straight away. Never thaw it on the counter or in an open bowl.

• Can I make this spicy minced beef pasta for lunch boxes?
  • I use the stovetop beef pasta recipe as a school lunch box meal for the kids as well. The tomato-minced beef sauce adds variety to their regular school meal and is filling enough to keep them full till they reach home. I substitute parmesan with grated(using the smallest holes)cheddar cheese on top.
    Want to save more time in the morning?
    Cook the minced meat the night before, cool and store. All you need to do in the morning is to heat the minced meat, cook the pasta and toss.

Watch more recipes on my YouTube channel

Continue to Content

Spicy Ground Beef Pasta With Coconut Milk (stove top).

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

This spicy ground beef pasta recipe is a one-pot pasta dish you can cook on the stovetop and serve straight to the dinner table. 

Minced beef in a ginger, chilli and black pepper tomato sauce, finished with coconut milk and tossed with rotini.

4.2 Stars (9 Reviews)

Print

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 tablespoons of oil (any neutral oil available to you, I'm using coconut milk)
• 2 medium-sized onions sliced fine
• 2 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste (you can use freshly grated ginger and garlic separately)
• 1 to 2 bay leaves
• 2 green chillies chopped
• 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder (reduce or increase as per your need)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh black pepper powder
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 can of whole peeled tomato (substitute with a can of diced tomatoes or chop 3 large tomatoes)
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste (I’ve also used 2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup as a substitute).
• 500g of ground/minced meat (you can go up to 700g if you want a thicker meatier sauce)
• A pack of 500g of rotini pasta (you can use any type of pasta shell)
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk (increase to 1 cup if you want a creamier meat sauce, you can use cooking cream as a substitute)
• Salt to season
• A handful of basil leaf (garnish)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

Prep work before cooking the minced beef sauce.

1. Remove the minced meat from the refrigerator and place it in a bowl of water to thaw. If the ground minced beef is frozen, remove it from the freezer 30 to 40 minutes early to defrost completely.
2. If you are not using canned tomatoes, then chop some fresh tomatoes (3 large)and set aside.
3. Start the sauce first and put the pasta water in halfway through.

Make the beef sauce.

1. Place a wok or a large pan over medium heat, pour in the oil (4 to 5 tablespoons). add the ginger-garlic paste(2 tablespoons).
2. Sauté for a few minutes or until they release their aroma and turn golden.
3. Add the sliced onions (2 medium-sized), bay leaves (1 to 2), and green chillies (2). Cook the ingredients until the onions turn translucent.
4. Add red chilli powder (1 teaspoon; reduce or increase as needed).
5. Add black pepper (1 tablespoon) and sugar (2 tablespoons). Mix for a few seconds.
6. Add the can of peeled tomatoes (substitute with 3 large chopped tomatoes), followed by tomato paste (2 tablespoons).
7. Reduce heat to low-medium, break down the peeled tomatoes, mix all the ingredients and season with salt.
8. Add the minced meat to the pan, combine all ingredients and cook for a few minutes. Break down the meat (5 to 7 minutes)over low-medium heat. Taste and season with salt.
9. Once you are satisfied with the flavours of the meat sauce, add ½ a cup of coconut milk (increase to 1 cup if you want a creamier meat sauce; use cooking cream as a substitute).
10. Add extra red chilli powder and black pepper for spicier beef pasta.
11. Cook for another 5 to 7 minutes over a low flame. Season the meat sauce as needed. The result should be a thick, meaty beef pasta sauce.

Boil the pasta

1. Use a large pot; this allows the pasta to expand as it cooks without crowding and sticking together.
2. Add enough water to submerge the pasta. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water. Cover the pan with a lid and bring the water to a rolling boil.
3. Add the pasta to the boiling water, and stir with a wooden spoon to remove any pasta sticking together.
4. 5 minutes into cooking the pasta, switch off the fire and let the remaining heat cook the pasta for another 2 minutes.
5. Immediately drain the pasta into a colander and run cold water through it to avoid overcooking the pasta.

Toss and serve

1. Toss pasta in the sauce, remove bay leaves, top with basil and parmesan.
2. Serve while the pasta is still warm for the best results.
   

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 541Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 14gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 438mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 3gSugar: 10gProtein: 31g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JEHAN
Recipe creator. Food Blogger. Video creator
I’ve been cooking and sharing Sri Lankan recipes, along with other dishes I love making at home on Island Smile since 2015. I’ve tested every recipe on this site more than once in my own kitchen before it goes on the blog.
I grew up eating this food, and I still cook it the way my family taught me, just written down clearly enough for you to follow.
If a recipe doesn’t work the way I say it will, tell me in the comments; I read every one, and I’ll help you fix it.