Healthy One Pot Philly Cheesesteak Pasta

Name: Healthy One Pot Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb 96/4 extra lean ground beef; 1 green bell pepper (seeded, sliced); 1 onion (sliced); 8 oz mushrooms (sliced); 3 cloves garlic; 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 3 cups beef broth; 2 cups water; 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1 lb Rotini pasta (uncooked, I used Rotini); 3 oz provolone cheese (shredded ); 1/4 cup reduced fat cream cheese

October 14, 2021 By Steph 40 Comments

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The flavors of a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich are transformed into a pasta dish with this Healthy One Pot Philly Cheesesteak Pasta. This dish is simple, but flavorful and a fun change-up to your week night meal rotation. Lean ground beef, green pepper, onion, and mushrooms combine to form the base of this recipe. Rotini pasta is cooked in a combination of beef broth and water to flavor the dish as it cooks; finally, provolone cheese and cream cheese are stirred in for creaminess. If you are looking for a fun weeknight meal, made in one pot and easy cleanup, this one is for you!

What’s better than a one pot meal?

Nothing! Everyone loves and appreciates a one-pot meal. And I am not talking a meal that uses one pot, and then a skillet, and a microwave, and the oven. I mean a true meal where everything is built in the same pot. There is something so satisfying about building a meal in one vessel. Not only does it make dinner easy to throw together (and quick) but it makes cleanup a breeze. It also makes a great make-ahead meal, since it can be reheated in the same pot you cooked it in.

What always intimidated me about making one-pot pasta dishes was the ratio of liquid to pasta. I was always nervous to experiment with this kind of recipe, because I really didn’t know where to begin, and I didn’t want to ruin a box of perfectly good pasta! Hey, can you blame me?

After some research I learned that the appropriate measurement of liquid to pasta in a one-pot meal is approximately 1:2 (similar to that of rice). Simple enough! After learning that, I felt like the rest would be easy. I was right!

What you will need to make healthy one pot Philly cheesesteak pasta

Here is the list of items you will need to make this pasta dish:

96/4 extra lean ground beef
- You can find this at some supermarkets, but also at Trader Joe’s and Aldi.
green bell pepper
onion
sliced mushrooms
Worcestershire
beef broth
water
pasta
- I used the shape Rotini, I felt it was a good option for this dish. But any pasta will do.
kosher salt
garlic powder
onion powder
reduced fat cream cheese
- This is really the only reduced-fat item used in this recipe!
provolone cheese

How to make this one pot pasta dish

Start out by browning the ground beef in a Dutch oven with olive oil spray; the heat should be on medium high. Cook the meat for about 5 minutes, or until browned and no longer pink. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.

In the same pot, add more olive oil spray, followed by the sliced pepper, onion, and mushrooms. Cook the vegetables for 10 minutes or until tender and caramelized. Next, add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or until fragrant.

Add the ground beef back to the pan, followed by the Worcestershire, broth, and water. Add the salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Bring this mixture to a boil, and then add the pasta to the pot. Stir to combine. Cover the pot, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the pasta for about 10 minutes or until tender.

Shred the provolone, and stir it into the cooked pasta with the cream cheese. Taste for seasoning.

Reheating this meal

As stated earlier, one pot meals make great make-ahead meals. But, let’s face it, after a meal sits for a while, it doesn’t taste as fresh as when you first made it. If you make this meal in advance, you will need to “bring it back to life” as I call it.

To do this, I recommend storing the pasta in the same pot you cooked it in. In order to reheat this before serving, you’ll simply need to add more liquid to the pasta dish. To reheat the entire batch of pasta, start off with another 1/2 cup broth, and add it to the pasta. Reheat the pasta over medium heat. If you need more liquid, add more as you go. If you are reheating individual portions, scale back the extra liquid.

This will add moisture to the dish, and it will take on the same consistency as when it was first made.

This pasta can also be frozen. Portion out individual servings into freezer bags. When you are ready to reheat the pasta, you can defrost it in the microwave or stove top. Be sure to add extra liquid as needed, similar to as noted above.