Rigatoni with Meat Sauce

Rigatoni with Meat Sauce

From The Most Decadent Diet Ever! by Devin Alexander

We all really liked this recipe. It is a keeper. However, I will not do again on a weeknight, unless I have the marinara already made. I simmered it for about 1 1/2 hours and I still thought it could thicken a little more. It had a wonderful flavor with the addition of the fennel seeds.

The first thing you need to do is make the homemade marinara sauce:

Mostly Mom's Marinara Sauce

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

2 TBS minced fresh garlic

Two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

1 TBS dried oregano

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

(I added a little dried basil too.)

Saute the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until they are tender, but not brown (7-10 minutes). Add the garlic and saute for a minute, then add the tomatoes, oregano, sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir and turn the heat to low. Simmer, partially covered for at least one hour, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, brown 1 pound lean ground beef until mostly cooked through. Drain if needed and return to pan.

Add to the beef:

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Stir and cook until beef is fully cooked. Add to the marinara sauce.

When the marinara meat sauce is thickened to your liking, serve over cooked pasta. Rigatoni is what the recipe called for, but this sauce would be good on any pasta. This made enough for three people and enough leftovers for another 3 servings! I think this sauce will freeze beautifully to enjoy some other time.