Pepperoni pasta with lean ground beef and jalapeño is a home run meal. Easy, tasty and loved by everyone.

Why Make This Pepperoni Pasta

This pasta is a family and friend favorite. Everyone who tries this recipe is blown away by the flavors. This is a hearty recipe and a great switch up from your typical pizza night. Pepperoni pasta is really easy to whip up, you can customize it with your favorite veggie add ins, use beef, turkey or even vegan pepperoni, you can also try my Veggie Ragu if you want to avoid the meat.

I love this recipe with ground beef, but ground turkey works great too. You can easily use up leftover product in this meal as well, the skies the limit. Make it mild or spicy (you know i like it spicy!) Also give my Pizza Bowls a try if you love pizza!

Ingredients Needed

Ground Beef. I love lean ground beef for this recipe, it gives it a hearty, Bolognese texture. You can use ground turkey meat as well if you want to cut back on calories.

Olive Oil. Just a little bit to help sauté the meat.

Onion. This gives a great aromatics to the sauce, it’s also a wonderful way to give the lean ground meat some moisture.

Jalapeño. Diced jalapeños add a wonderful heat to this pepperoni pasta.

Garlic. Fresh cloves of garlic are best for this recipe. It adds aromatics and depth to the sauce.

Seasoning. Garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, chili powder.

Pepperonis. I try to use a good quality that is nitrate free. You can also use turkey or vegan pepperoni if you want to cut back on the fat content. They are all tasty in this, yes I have tried them all!

Red Pasta Sauce. Use your favorite! Marinara or spaghetti sauce will work great.

Chicken Broth. This thins out the sauce and helps to combine everything together. I opt for low sodium broth. You can also just double the pasta water measurements if you don’t have broth.

Pasta. I use rigatoni for this but any will work.

Spinach. I add lots of fresh spinach to the sauce to add some nutritious minerals from the leafy.

Basil. Optional for topping.

How To Make This Recipe

Step One. Start pasta and cook according to the package (al dente) In a large skillet, heat oil in the pan. Add onions and jalapeños. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Add in ground beef and cook all the way through, about 6 minutes.

Step Two. Add seasonings and garlic, sauté for another 2 minutes. Add in the pepperoni, broth and pasta sauce. Bring to a light simmer. Once the pasta is done, reserve 1.5 cups of the pasta water before draining. If you already drained the pasta, no worries just use more broth.

Step Three. Add the cooked pasta to the large skillet, spinach and add in the pasta water, simmer for another 2 minutes and serve! Garnish with chopped basil and Parmesan.

Recipe FAQ’s

Recipe Pairings

This recipe is very hearty on it’s own, but it’s really great served with Air Fried Garlic Bread or my Overnight Bread or Kale Salad With Lemon Honey Dressing.

Other Pasta Meals To Try

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