High Protein Garlic Beef Pasta
A whole tray of tomatoes, capsicum and garlic roasted until properly caramelised is the base of this sauce, blended with cream cheese and parmesan into something rich without needing a jar of anything.
Beef mince seasoned simply and cooked separately keeps the flavours distinct before everything comes together, pasta, beef and sauce folded through in one bowl at the end.
Five containers, genuinely high in protein, and one of the few creamy pastas that actually freezes well thanks to that roasted vegetable base giving the sauce real structure.
High Protein Garlic Beef Pasta
GARLIC BEEF PASTA · BEEF · MEAL PREP · EASY
A creamy sauce that actually holds up frozen
Roasting the vegetables until properly caramelised, garlic included, gives the blended sauce a depth that just simmering them in a pan wouldn't get you.
Because the sauce is built on roasted vegetables rather than dairy alone, it has more structure than most creamy pasta sauces, which is exactly why this one freezes properly instead of splitting once thawed.
High protein, genuinely freezer-friendly, and rich enough that you won't miss a heavier, more traditional cream sauce.
High Protein Garlic Beef Pasta
Ingredients
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- 30 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 Tomatoes Halved or Quartered
- 100 g Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 Red Bell Peppers (Capsicums) Halved or Quartered
- 1 Whole Garlic Bulb Halved
- 4 g Dried Italian Herbs
- 4 g Smoked Paprika
- 2 g Chilli Flakes
- 150 g Light Cream Cheese or Cottage Cheese
- 70 g Parmesan Cheese Grated
- Salt To Taste
- Cracked Black Pepper To Taste
Pasta
- 500 g Pasta of Choice
Garlic Beef
- Spray Oil
- 1 kg Beef Mince 5%-10% Fat
- 4 g Dried Italian Herbs
- 6 g Smoked Paprika
- 6 g Garlic Powder
- Salt To Taste
- Cracked Black Pepper To Taste
Garnish
- Flat Leaf Parsley Optional
- Parmesan Cheese Grated
Method
Roast the Vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a large tray with parchment paper. Add the tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, capsicum (bell pepper) and the halved garlic bulb. Season with salt, black pepper, Italian herbs, paprika and chilli flakes, then spray lightly with oil. Mix well with your hands to ensure everything is covered in the seasoning. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until softened and lightly caramelised.
Cook the Pasta
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and generously season it with table salt. Cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the packet instructions. Drain and reserve pasta water.
Make the Sauce
- Add all of the roasted vegetables into a blender, squeezing the roasted garlic cloves out of the skins. Add the cream or cottage cheese, half of the parmesan and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Blend until smooth and creamy, double-check the seasoning and set aside.
Cook the Garlic Beef
- Place a large pan over medium-high heat and lightly spray with oil. Add the beef mince and season with dried Italian herbs, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt and pepper, and cook for 5-6 minutes until no longer pink. Remove from the heat.
Combine
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta, beef mince and creamy red pepper sauce. Add the remaining Parmesan. Mix until well coated and creamy.
Serve
- Portion into 5x 750ml meal prep containers. Garnish with flat-leaf parsley and extra Parmesan.
Why roast the vegetables instead of just simmering them?⌄
Roasting caramelises the natural sugars in the vegetables, giving the sauce real depth. Simmering alone gets you a much flatter, more raw-tasting result.
Can I use jarred roasted peppers to save time?⌄
You can, though you'll still want to roast the tomatoes and garlic fresh since those bring most of the depth. Jarred capsicum alone is a reasonable shortcut if you're short on time.
Can I use a different pasta shape?⌄
Yes, rigatoni, penne or fusilli all work well and hold onto the sauce properly. Anything with texture is a better fit than a thin, smooth pasta here.
Why does this sauce freeze well when most creamy sauces don't?⌄
Most creamy sauces rely almost entirely on dairy, which tends to split once frozen and thawed. This one's built on a roasted vegetable base with dairy folded in, giving it more structure that holds up through freezing.
