Rigatoni with Meat Sauce
A hearty Italian pasta dish featuring rigatoni in a rich meat sauce made with ground beef, vegetables, and red wine. The sauce is simmered with crushed tomatoes, fresh herbs, and finished with Pecorino Romano cheese and basil.
Ingredients
- •2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- •1 medium onion
- •1 medium carrot
- •1 stalk celery
- •1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- •12 ounces lean ground beef
- •5 cloves garlic
- •½ cup dry red wine
- •1 can crushed tomatoes with basil
- •2 tablespoons tomato paste
- •12 ounces rigatoni pasta
- •1 teaspoon salt
- •¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- •½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- •⅓ cup fresh basil leaves
- •thinly sliced
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef and garlic and cook, breaking the beef into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until the onion and beef are lightly browned, 9 to 10 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook until it is nearly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and zucchini; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until slightly thickened, 2 minutes.
20 min
- 2.
Stir in the rigatoni, salt, pepper, and 3 cups water; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is somewhat thickened, about 18 minutes. Add 1 cup water and continue cooking until the pasta is tender, 9 to 10 minutes more.
28 min
- 3.
Serve the rigatoni topped with the Romano and basil.
2 min