Our ground beef asparagus pasta salad recipe with parmesan is a great warm or cold dish to bring to a potluck! Fresh is best but this is how to cook frozen asparagus so you can make it year round.
Ground beef and asparagus is a great duo of flavors. Mixed with some al dente bow tie pasta noodles it can become a high protein one pot meal. Love cheese? Add some to the top or toss with alfredo to make it creamy. There are lots of ways to change this up.
I always like to add meat and protein to every meal. Which means we make a lot of recipes using ground beef around here. Instead of cooking all of my items separately, I can save a bit of time and still get a homemade meal we love. My busy schedule definitely thanks me AND this is a great choice when you have company over too!
If you are like me, find a great sale and load up this weekend, you may need a few easy ground beef recipes to make. Yes this state is known for it’s potatoes, but they produce some amazing Idaho beef on the farms around here too so we buy half a cow each year……so like yeah we have a lot…..
Ingredient Notes
We are going to start with a roll of lean ground beef for this. It will need to be precooked first in a pan and drained. If you want super lean you can dump into a colander when done and run hot water over it. Spicy ground sausage is a great alternative if you love heat.
Use Pasta noodles of your choice, smaller sizes are best in my experience though to make it easier to eat all the different items on one fork.
Fresh asparagus is best for sure and I typically just keep the tips and about half of the upper part of the stalk (with the rest thrown away as that is quite firm and chewy).
I chose not to add any sort of dressing and instead just tossed in some grated Parmesan cheese with this. You could add shredded cheddar or mozzarella too.
And you will want to add seasonings too, salt and pepper would be the basics but garlic powder and onion powder are great with some fresh garlic too.
Can you use frozen ground beef?
In the event that you don’t have time to thaw your meat ahead of time we show you here how to defrost and cook Instant Pot frozen ground beef to start. It is quick and nobody will know the difference when it is done.
You can brown the protein in a pan or start with air fryer ground beef which will drain away the grease which is handy. The noodles are cooked separately. You can choose to keep them warm once drained or spray cold water on them for a cold pasta salad choice.
Of course we use other cuts and have made things like beef and noodles Instant Pot style often. Our slow cooker beef tips are pretty amazing over mashed potatoes too.
Can I cook pasta and ground beef in one pot?
I mean yes and no. You need to boil noodles to get them tender or at least al dente. Boiled meat is possible but doesn’t taste great. Submerging meat in hot water dries it out and sucks all the great flavor right out of it. It’s better to brown proteins in a skillet and cook noodles separate, then combine.
Do you rinse pasta for cold pasta salad?
Yes. If you don’t want it to remain warm you want to drain in a colander and then run cold water over it for a few minutes. This will stop the cooking process and bring the temp. down quickly.
How long do I cook asparagus for pasta salad?
There are several methods. In an oven at 425 degrees F you’ll want to coat with olive oil, salt and pepper and parmesan. Bake for about 12 minutes until tender. Here we boil once cut into large chunks. Or cook asparagus in the air fryer. If you love asparagus you’re going to love this pasta asparagus dish with beef.
Asparagus Pasta Salad Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pan
- 1 pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 12 oz noodles, measured uncooked
- 1 lb asparagus
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small shallots, diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a large greased skillet, brown hamburger with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- While beef is browning, cook pasta in boiling water for 10 minutes. Then add chopped asparagus to boiling water. Continue boiling until pasta and asparagus are tender. Drain in a colander and run cool water over the top to stop it from getting any softer and cool down.
- When beef is thoroughly cooked, spoon it out of the skillet and drain off any excess grease. Allow to cool until room temp (if serving cold) Add shallots and garlic to the same skillet and cook over medium heat until they become transparent.
- Combine pasta, asparagus, and beef mixture with parmesan in a large mixing bowl. Pour into a serving baking dish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I make pasta salad the night before?
Ideally I like making it in the morning, putting plastic wrap over the bowl and into the fridge it goes. This will make it nice and cold without risking soggy noodles if you make it a day before your event.
What else can ground beef be used for?
If you love quick and easy casseroles there are many options in that category. Mixed with a creamy sauce, vegetables and either rice or noodles you can create all sorts of one pot meals that are kid friendly and inexpensive to boot.
We love any and all of our Instant Pot ground beef recipes too because it’s a throw it all in and go type of meal for busy families. And we really love this tater tot casserole with ground beef.
And let’s talk about cost also shall we. If you’re on a budget, this type of beef is just the way to go. You get all the protein you’d want in easy bite size pieces which will make the kiddos happy too. We love cheap recipes too y’all.
