Beef Pasta
Delicious Satisfying Beef Pasta recipe with step-by-step instructions.
Ingredients
For the seasoning mix:
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (gives a deeper wood-smoke complexity than sweet paprika)
- 0.75 tsp oregano
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 0.5 tsp chili flakes
- 0.25 tsp thyme
For the pasta and beef:
- 1 white onion (finely diced into 1/4-inch pieces)
- 4 garlic cloves (freshly minced for best flavor)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 tbsp tomato puree (I use Mutti Double Concentrated)
- 2.75 cups beef stock
- 2 cups tomato passata (makes it extra creamy and rich compared to crushed tomatoes)
- 0.75 cup cream
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (I prefer Lea & Perrins)
- 10.5 oz pasta (short shapes like penne or rigatoni work best for this texture)
- parsley
- olive oil
- 0.5 tsp sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together all of the dry spices (salt, smoked paprika, oregano, black pepper, chili flakes, thyme, and sugar) and leave aside. When added to the wet components, this pre-mixing guarantees uniform distribution of spice throughout the meal and keeps it from clumping. In a big pot, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Cook the chopped onion in the hot oil for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring now and again, until it is transparent and tender. Add the minced garlic and heat until fragrant for an additional minute. Next, add the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it is browned and no pink is left.
- To intensify the flavors and toast the spices, add the tomato puree and the spice mixture from Step 1 and heat for one minute. Stir the Worcestershire sauce thoroughly after adding it. Add the cream, tomato passata, and beef stock, stirring well to mix all the ingredients and dissolve any browned pieces from the bottom of the saucepan.
- After bringing the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat, add the pasta and swirl thoroughly to keep it from sticking. Lower the heat to medium and simmer, stirring now and then, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through and the sauce has thickened to a creamy consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Add 1/4 cup of water at a time to the sauce if it gets too thick before the pasta is cooked, and mix to get the right consistency.
- Take the saucepan off of the burner and sample the food. To suit your taste, add extra salt, pepper, or chili flakes as needed to adjust the seasoning. Spoon into dishes and sprinkle with fresh parsley. While still hot and creamy, serve right away.