Garlic Butter Bowtie Pasta with Ground Beef

Farfalle boiled in well-salted water while ground beef browns in olive oil, then onion, six cloves of garlic and chilli flakes go into the same skillet.

Three tablespoons of butter melt in with the seasoning, beef broth reduces for a minute or two, and the drained pasta comes in with half a cup of its own water to be tossed into a sauce with the last butter and the Parmesan.

Why This Recipe Works

• The pasta water is an ingredient with its own line in the list, not an afterthought. Starch from the pasta is what holds butter and broth together as a sauce instead of a puddle of fat.
• The butter is divided three and one. Three tablespoons build the sauce over heat; the last tablespoon goes in with the Parmesan at the tossing stage, where it emulsifies rather than simply melts.
• Six cloves of garlic go in after the onion and get thirty to sixty seconds. It is a lot of garlic for a short exposure, which is precisely how you get sweetness rather than bitterness.
• Beef broth rather than water for the reduction. It reinforces what the beef has already put into the pan, and a low-sodium broth keeps the seasoning under the cook's control against the Parmesan's own salt.
• 85/15 beef, specified. There is enough fat in it to carry the flavour and the recipe still tells you to drain the excess if needed — the butter is doing the enriching, not the mince.
• Parmesan is finely grated, which matters when it is going into a hot emulsion. Coarse shreds clump; fine grating dissolves into the sauce.

How to Make It

1. Boil the pasta, save the water

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the farfalle until al dente according to package directions. Reserve at least 1 cup pasta water, then drain.

2. Brown the beef

   While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the ground beef, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook, breaking it up, until browned. Drain excess fat if needed.

3. Onion, then garlic

   Add the diced onion to the skillet and sauté 2–3 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant.

4. Butter and seasoning

   Reduce the heat to medium. Add 3 tablespoons butter and stir until melted. Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

5. Reduce the broth

   Pour in the beef broth and simmer 1–2 minutes to slightly reduce and emulsify the garlic butter sauce.

6. Pasta in, with its water

   Add the drained pasta to the skillet along with 1/2 cup reserved pasta water. Toss to coat and loosen the sauce as needed.

7. Last butter and Parmesan

   Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the Parmesan. For a creamy version, add the heavy cream and warm through. Adjust with more pasta water for a silky sauce.

8. Greens and brightness

   Fold in the parsley and lemon zest and juice. Add the spinach if using and toss just to wilt.

9. Taste and serve

   Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot with extra Parmesan and black pepper.

Ingredient Notes

Farfalle (bowtie) pasta

Twelve ounces, cooked al dente. Bowties have a thick pinched centre that keeps bite while the wings hold sauce, which is why the shape suits an emulsified sauce like this one.

Ground beef (85/15)

A pound at that specific ratio. Leaner mince gives a drier result in a sauce that is already relying on butter for richness.

Reserved pasta water (use as needed)

Listed as an ingredient because it behaves like one. Half a cup goes in at step 6 and more is used at step 7 to reach a silky sauce.

Unsalted butter, divided

Four tablespoons split three and one. Unsalted throughout — three-quarters of a teaspoon of kosher salt plus Parmesan is already the recipe's salt budget.

Finely grated Parmesan cheese

Half a cup, finely grated so it melts into the sauce rather than sitting in strands.

Heavy cream (optional for a creamy version)

Half a cup. This is the alternative creamy version rather than a fix — the base sauce is complete without it.

Success Tips

• Salt the pasta water properly; it is the only seasoning the farfalle gets.
• Keep a full cup of pasta water back, not just the half cup the sauce needs.
• Drain the beef fat if it pools — the butter is what should be enriching this.
• Grate the Parmesan finely so it melts instead of clumping.
• Toss the spinach through with the heat low and serve straight away.

Serving Ideas

Extra Parmesan and black pepper at the table, as the last step says. Garlic bread would double up on the garlic butter; a sharp green salad is the better partner.

Storage and Reheating