Description
This simple 30 minute pasta with meat sauce is the perfect meal to make for a busy weeknight! It requires little effort, very few ingredients (including pantry staples), and it comes together in under 30 minutes!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 lb lean ground beef (90/10 or 93/7)
- 2–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt, more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (or dried oregano + dried basil + dried parsley)
- 1 28oz can tomato puree
- 8 oz pasta
- Fresh basil for garnish (optional)
- Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
- Cook the onion. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Cook the ground beef. Add ground beef and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into small pieces. Cook until browned, then season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings. Stir in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato sauce. Pour in the can of tomato sauce and stir. Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Cook the pasta. While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until it is almost al dente (see notes if you are using a gluten-free high-protein chickpea pasta).
- Mix the pasta into the sauce. When the pasta is almost done cooking, reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, then strain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Fold the pasta into the sauce, then add about 1/4 cup pasta water. Allow the pasta to finish cooking for 1-2 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve the pasta with fresh basil (optional) and as much freshly grated parmesan as your heart desires!
Notes
If you are using a chickpea pasta for this recipe, be mindful of cook time. You will want to use a large pot of salted water (using too little liquid can cause the pasta to stick together, overcook, and become mushy quickly). I tend to ignore the cook time listed on the chickpea pasta packaging. Bring the water to a low boil, then add the pasta and do not let the water boil aggressively. You’ll want to closely monitor the pasta to ensure it does not overcook, as it takes only about 5-6 minutes to become al dente. Reserve some pasta water and drain before adding to the sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 477
- Sugar: 11.9 g
- Sodium: 806.7 mg
- Fat: 8.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 64 g
- Protein: 37.4 g
- Cholesterol: 72.1 mg