I made the best dinner tonight. Really great, not just hyperbole. I made mezzi rigatoni with marinara, ground beef and vegetables. I used some of the fresh ground beef that I picked up at the farmer’s market and cooked up two days ago for the Mediterranean hamburgers, as well as some veggies from my previous farmer’s market trip (it’s amazing how long vegetables last when you buy them fresh instead of at the grocery store). Here’s the recipe:
Rigatoni alla Delicious (for lack of a better name)
6 – 8 oz mezzi rigatoni (these are the little half rigatoni shapes, but you could use any smallish pasta)
water
1/2 jar of pasta sauce
1/4 diced onion
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped kale
1/2 cup diced zucchini
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/2 lb. seasoned ground beef (or turkey), pre-cooked
1/2 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly
Instead of doing the usual boiling of the pasta, I browned the pasta over medium heat in a big pan with some oil.
Browning the pasta ahead of time gives it a richer, nuttier flavor. After the pasta toasts up a bit, add the onion and garlic and stir fry for a minute or two.
Add water to cover the pasta and about 1/3 of the jarred marinara sauce. Let the water come up to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Add the chopped kale and salt and let cook down a bit. Add the next 1/3 of the pasta sauce and a little more water to keep the pasta simmering.
Stir in 1/2 of the chopped basil and the zucchini. When the water is close to absorbed and the pasta is al dente, add the rest of the pasta sauce, the ground beef, and lay the mozzarella rounds on top. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors blend and let the steam melt the cheese.
Right before serving, top with the remaining basil. The dish serves 3-4 people, depending on how hungry they are. The best part is that because of the cooking process, the pasta absorbs a lot of the flavors and is just the right amount of saucy. It looks almost as good as it tastes!
