Garlic Butter Beef Spaghetti in Cheddar Cream Sauce 🧄🍝

Garlic Butter Beef Spaghetti in Cheddar Cream Sauce. A rich, indulgent British-style pasta dish where golden garlic butter beef meets a velvety mature cheddar cream sauce — pure comfort in every forkful.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 400 grams spaghetti
• 500 grams beef mince (20% fat)
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 60 grams unsalted butter
• 300 milliliters double cream
• 150 grams mature cheddar, freshly grated
• 150 milliliters beef stock
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoons dried mixed herbs
• 1 pinch salt and cracked black pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Garlic Butter Beef Spaghetti: Method

1. First, heat a big pot of water and add salt. Let it boil well. Put the spaghetti in and cook it until soft. Drop in 400 grams spaghetti and cook until just al dente — firm with a slight bite. Before draining, scoop out a mugful of starchy pasta water and set aside. Drain the spaghetti and toss lightly with a drizzle of 2 tablespoons olive oil to stop it sticking together.
2. Brown the Beef: Place a wide, heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. Next, heat a pan and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Wait until it gets a little shiny. Tip in 500 grams beef mince (20% fat) and press it flat against the pan — resist stirring for the first 6 minutes (06:00) so a proper crust forms underneath. Once deeply browned on one side, break it apart with a wooden spoon and season boldly with 1 pinch salt and cracked black pepper, 1 teaspoons smoked paprika, and 1 teaspoons dried mixed herbs. Continue cooking until no pink remains and the mince has a gorgeous caramel colour throughout.
3. Then turn the heat down to low and start making the garlic butter base. Push the cooked beef to one side of the pan and add 60 grams unsalted butter to the empty space. Once it foams and turns nutty golden, stir in 6 garlic cloves, finely minced and let it sizzle gently for 2 minutes (02:00) — you want it fragrant and golden, never burnt. Splash in 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard, stirring everything together so the garlic butter coats every bit of beef beautifully.
4. Make the Cheddar Cream Sauce: Pour 150 milliliters beef stock into the pan and let it bubble for 5 minutes (05:00), scraping up any sticky bits from the bottom — that’s pure flavour. Lower the heat, then pour in 300 milliliters double cream slowly, stirring as you go. Let the sauce cook slowly on low heat until it becomes a little thick. It should stick lightly to the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in 150 grams mature cheddar, freshly grated in three additions, allowing each handful to melt fully before adding the next. Taste and adjust seasoning
5. Marry the Pasta and Sauce: Add the drained 400 grams spaghetti straight into the cheddar cream beef sauce. Use tongs to toss everything together confidently, lifting and folding the strands through the sauce. If the sauce feels too thick, splash in a little of the reserved pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, until it clings perfectly — silky, glossy, and rich.
6. Serve and Finish: Twirl generous portions into warmed wide bowls. Scatter over 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped for a fresh pop of colour and flavour. Finish with an extra pinch of cracked black pepper and a light dusting of grated cheddar on top if you fancy. Serve immediately while the sauce is at its creamiest — and have extra napkins ready.