Beef mushroom rigatoni is a make-ahead comfort meal for the masses. It freezes beautifully, and is SO filling!
Ingredients
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 large Onions, peeled and chopped
6 medium Carrots, peeled and chopped
1 pound Ground Beef
2 pounds Mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Tomato Paste
1 tablespoon Dried Oregano
1 tablespoon Dried Italian Herbs
1/2 cup Red Wine
3 14.5 ounce cans Diced Tomatoes
1 Bay Leaf
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Cooked Rigatoni and Parmesan
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a gigantic pot (one you have a lid for) over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook until they’re starting to brown, about 3 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and brown until all of the juices from the meat have evaporated. Resist the urge to drain, wait until the juices are gone. And resist the urge to stir too often, as well. Once every minute (or less) is fine.
- Stir in the mushrooms and garlic and cook again until all the juices from the mushrooms have evaporated. It’s OK if brown bits stick to the bottom of your pot – that’s a ton of flavor right there.
- Once everything in your pot is nicely browned and looking quite dry, stir in the tomato paste, oregano and Italian herbs. Roast it for a minute while stirring constantly.
- Pour in the red wine all at once (careful: steam alert!) and cook it for a minute. Then stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf and seasoning. Bring to a boil once, then reduce to a tiny simmer and cover with the lid.
- Allow the sauce to simmer for as long as you can, but at least one hour. Then remove the lid and continue simmering until the sauce has thickened to your liking. Check for seasoning, then serve over cooked rigatoni with parmesan.
- To freeze the sauce, make sure it is quite thick. Allow it to cool completely before packing it into freezer containers in portions. Label the containers, or else you will probably wonder what ever you made there 6 months down the line. Freeze for up to three months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and heat in a pot on the stove. Make sure to boil it for at least a minute, just to be safe. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water.