This is a simple yet tasty pasta dish, rich in flavor with a hint of rosemary and red wine. My whole family enjoyed this dinner (no complaints from the 5-year-old…yippee!!!). I used bow-tie pasta (farfalle) because that’s what I had on hand. Next time I might try it with a little Italian sausage substituted for some of the beef just to mix things up a bit. Sliced mushrooms, chopped red peppers and/or kalamata olives would also make great additions to the sauce. Garnish with a little Parmesan cheese if you like (it’s good with or without it).

Penne with Beef Ragù
-recipe from williams-sonoma.com

Ragù, which can be made with ground beef, pork, veal or a combination, tastes even better the day after it is made. This recipe can easily be doubled and will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. Serves 4.

6 Tbs. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
3/4 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup dry red wine
3 Tbs. tomato paste
2 1/2 cups canned whole plum tomatoes, chopped, with juices
2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
1 lb. penne or rigatoni

Make the sauce:
In a large, deep fry pan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and rosemary and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes. Add 1 to 2 Tbs. water if needed to keep the pan from drying out and the vegetables from browning.

Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it is browned, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and tomato paste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the alcohol has evaporated, about 4 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low and add the tomatoes, the 1 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cover partially and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and aromatic, about 1 hour.

Cook the pasta:
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the 2 Tbs. salt and the pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, stirring to combine. Warm briefly over low heat to blend the flavors. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. 

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Pasta, by Julia della Croce (Oxmoor House, 2006).

Tags: Beef, Pasta, ragu

Recipes don’t get much easier than this one: a simple, fresh-tasting sauce tossed with cooked pasta. I also like to add cooked chicken for protein, and sliced red pepper and steamed snow peas for added color, crunch and flavor. I recommend making 1.5 to 2 times the sauce if you plan to add the vegetables and/or chicken. I’m a cilantro lover so I dig the combination of flavors in the sauce (cilantro, sesame oil, fresh ginger).  For the sauce I omitted the chicken broth because I didn’t want to open a can of it for such a small amount. Instead, I used a few tablespoons of water. If you do this, you may need to add a bit more soy sauce or salt, depending on your tastes. I also substituted regular ol’ dried spaghetti for the fresh noodles.

Asian Noodles with Ginger-Cilantro Sauce
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine – epicurious.com

Add chicken or pork to turn this side dish into a satisfying main course. Chopped roasted peanuts are a nice garnish.

Serves 4.

1 12-ounce package fresh oriental-style water noodles or linguine
3 tablespoons oriental sesame oil

2 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 small jalapeño chili, seeded
1 cup (packed) fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons (or more) canned chicken broth

Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain noodles. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Transfer to large bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon sesame oil.

With processor running, drop ginger and chili through feed tube and mince. Add cilantro, soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter, 3 tablespoons broth and remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Process until mixture is almost smooth, adding more broth if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add sauce to noodles and toss.

Tags: Asian, cilantro, ginger, noodles, Pasta

I love pasta! It’s versatile, and a perfect foundation for a quick weeknight meal. I came across this recipe when I was looking for a dish that called for both Italian sausage and broccoli because I had both in the fridge and needed to use them. My whole family loved this pasta dish, and you know you’ve got a keeper when everyone from the 5-year-old on up to Grandma enjoys the meal. 

I used penne pasta (didn’t have orecchiette) and Foster Farms turkey Italian sausage; the dish would also be really good with a spicy Italian sausage for some added kick. I really like onions with pasta so I thinly sliced half an onion and sauteed it with the sausage (omitting the scallions). Be sure to cook your garlic over medium low heat or it will brown too quickly or burn (not very tasty). Also, I added 1/3 cup of Kalamata olives toward the end of cooking when I added the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. This simple, flavorful pasta dish will be appearing regularly at our dinner table.

Orecchiette with Caramelized Garlic, Sausage & Broccoli
- recipe from Fine Cooking magazine

Serves four.

10 oz. broccoli crowns, cut into 1-1/2-inch florets
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage, skinned and crumbled into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into thin strips
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
3/4 lb. dried orecchiette (or penne)
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice; more to taste
3 Tbs. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; more for serving
scallions (whites and greens), thinly sliced

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water until it softens to a tender crunch, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer it to the bowl of cold water.

Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the sausage and sauté, stirring, until it browns and is just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Put the pasta in the water. Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium low; add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil and the garlic. Season with salt and cook, flipping the pieces occasionally, until they start to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Raise the heat to high, drain the broccoli, and add it to the skillet, along with the sausage. Cook until everything is heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and thyme.

Finish cooking the pasta until it’s just tender, about 10 minutes total. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the broccoli. Raise the heat to high and toss well for 30 seconds. If the pasta appears dry, add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir in the lemon juice, Parmigiano and scallions. Add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice to taste. Serve immediately, sprinkled with more Parmigiano.

Tags: broccoli, italian sausage, Pasta, sun-dried tomatoes

This spicy beef noodle dish made a good weeknight dinner; nothing fancy but certainly quick and easy. You’ve got a little bit of everything in one bowl with this meal…thinly sliced beef, stir fried veggies, pasta. The soy sauce, Sriracha and tomatoes combine to lightly coat the meat, veggies and pasta without standing in the way of their individual flavors. I thought that the one tablespoon of Sriracha was enough to give the dish a pleasant amount of heat. Use less, though, if you’re apprehensive about the spice factor; you can always drizzle more on later if you want more zip.  

The beef released alot of juices when I was browning it so I transfered the beef (and it’s juices) to a bowl, wiped out the pan, added more oil, and proceeded with the recipe. Some of the prep could be done ahead of time to speed up the cooking process. The handy hint in the recipe on chilling the beef in the freezer (before cutting) for a half hour really does make it easier to slice. Just don’t leave it in there too long or you’ll have a frozen hunk of meat. Sunset even includes recipe variations in case you want to change things up a bit. When it comes to food, variety really is the spice of life!

Beef with Tomatoes, Pasta, and Chili Sauce
-from Sunset magazine

While researching a story on Peruvian cooking (“Peruvian Passage,” June 2006), we came across tallarín saltado, a popular fusion dish that combines Asian stir-fry techniques with beef, fresh tomatoes, Asian chili sauce, and Italian spaghetti. It was a hit here at Sunset: It’s fast and easy, and you can substitute other meats, vegetables, or different kinds of pasta. This is our favorite combination, using broccoli and fusilli. Notes: Slicing the beef is easier if it has been chilled for 20 to 30 minutes in the freezer. For less spicy heat, decrease or leave out the chili sauce.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1/2 pound fusilli pasta
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound beef sirloin, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-in.-thick slices
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and cut into thin wedges
3 cups broccoli florets (about 1 in. each)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha (Asian red chili sauce)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1-in.-thick wedges
Preparation

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add fusilli. Cook until tender to the bite, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add beef and cook until it starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir and let it continue to brown for 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer beef to a plate, reserving oil, and set aside.

Add onion to the pan and cook, stirring often, until it begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add broccoli and cook until bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Add soy sauce, Sriracha, cilantro, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and reserved beef and cook until tomatoes begin to release their juices, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add the cooked fusilli, stir, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated or been absorbed by the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with additional soy sauce or Sriracha. Serve hot with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, if desired.

Variations: This dish is extremely flexible, and the soy-chili sauce tastes great with any of the following additions and/or substitutions.

Chicken or shrimp:Use 1 lb. boned, skinned chicken breasts cut into 1/4-in.-thick strips, or 1 lb. medium shelled and deveined shrimp.

Other vegetables: Add your favorite green vegetable (such as green beans or zucchini) in addition to or in place of the broccoli. You can also toss in a thinly sliced red or green bell pepper or 1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage (add at the same time as the onion).

Swap pastas:Try using penne pasta instead of fusilli. Or, for a more authentically Peruvian version, use spaghetti.

Tags: Beef, broccoli, Main Dish, Quick Cooking, stir-fry, tomatoes