All the flavors of a Philly cheesesteak packed into a creamy, comforting pasta. Ground beef, sweet onions, and bell peppers come together with a rich Gouda and cottage cheese sauce that coats every bite of gemelli. Quick enough for a weeknight, impressive enough for company.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef 85/15
- 1 lb gemelli pasta
- 2 med sweet onions, thinly sliced
- 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
- 4 slices American cheese
- 2 tbsp flour
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- 1 tbsp butter
Directions
- 1
Boil salted water for pasta.
- 2
Cook pasta per instructions.
- 3
Drain pasta and reserve some of the pasta water.
- 4
Put pasta in a large bowl covered.
- 5
Cook beef until browned and drain into a fat separator.
- 6
Add beef to bowl with pasta and cover again.
- 7
Add sliced onions and peppers to pan and cook with butter. Cook until soft, add the broth from the separator back to the pan and mix.
- 8
Blend cottage cheese and milk.
- 9
Sprinkle 2 tbsp of flour and mix over onions and peppers.
- 10
Add Gouda, American cut in squares, and blended cottage cheese. Mix well.
- 11
Pour mixture over the beef and pasta and stir until fully combined.
- 12
Serve immediately.
Tips & Variations
- ✦Reserve a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce if it gets too thick.
- ✦Swap gemelli for rigatoni or penne — any short pasta with ridges holds the sauce well.
- ✦Leftovers reheat beautifully with a splash of milk stirred in.