Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce Recipe

Name: Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/2 pound penne pasta (use rice pasta for gluten-free version); Salt; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 cups chopped onion (from about 1 large onion); 2 cloves garlic, chopped; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (blend of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and savory); Dash red pepper flakes; 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme (or a pinch of dried); Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 pound (16% fat) ground beef; 3 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or a 1/2 teaspoon of dried); 2 1/2 cups canned chunky tomato sauce (almost 1 28-ounce can, Muir Glen brand if you can get it); 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Tip for the Meat Sauce

The main trick to this penne pasta recipe? Sufficiently browning the meat for the meat sauce! Which means using a cast iron frying pan on high heat, letting the ground beef cook in its own fat, and not stirring it, so that the meat has a chance to brown well.

How To Store and Freeze

Leftovers of this penne pasta will keep for about five days and reheat well in the microwave. If the mixture seems dry, stir in a splash of water or milk to loosen it up again.

The meat sauce also freezes quite well, though not with the pasta. If you want to freeze some or all of the meat sauce for future meals, just skip adding the pasta.

To freeze the sauce by itself, cook the sauce completely, then let it cool completely. Transfer to freezer containers or bags, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating, or reheat directly from the freezer over low heat in a sauce pan. Add a splash or two of water or milk to loosen up the sauce if it seems dry.

Try These Other Great Pasta Dinners

Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 55 mins

Servings 4 servings

8 ounces penne pasta
Salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Dash red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, or a pinch of dried
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground beef (16% fat)
2 1/2 cups canned chunky tomato sauce (almost one 28-ounce can, Muir Glen brand if you can get it)
3 fresh basil leaves, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Cook the penne pasta:

Heat to boiling a large pot with 4 quarts of water in it. Once the water is boiling, salt it with 2 tablespoons of salt. Once the water returns to a boil add the pasta to the pot.

Leave uncovered, let cook on high heat with a vigorous boil. Put the timer on for 8 to 10 minutes, or whatever your pasta package says is appropriate for al dente (cooked but still a little firm). Drain.
Sauté the onions, garlic, with seasonings:

Once you've started to heat the water, start working on the sauce. Heat olive oil in a very large skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onion, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.

Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened. Add the garlic, fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.

Elise Bauer
Brown the ground beef:

Heat a large cast iron pan on high heat. Salt the bottom of the pan generously. Once the pan is hot, break up small chunks of ground beef and add them to the pan, without stirring. (You may need to work in batches; do not crowd the pan.) You want the meat to get well browned.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

If the pan is too hot and the meat is burning, not browning, take the pan off the heat for a little, and reduce the heat to medium high. On our coil electric stove, it takes the high heat setting for the meat to brown sufficiently, but your stove may be different.

Once the meat is browned on one side (a couple of minutes), use a metal spatula to flip the meat over to brown on the other side. At this point, assuming you are using a cast iron pan, you can remove the pan from the heat. The residual heat in the pan will finish cooking the meat.

Elise Bauer
Add the beef and tomato sauce to onions:

Use a slotted spoon to lift the meat from the cast iron pan and add it to the pan with the seasoned onions.

Add tomato sauce. Use the edge of your metal spatula to break up the bigger chunks of meat into smaller pieces.

Add basil. Add a teaspoon of sugar. Bring to a simmer on low heat, let cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Adjust the seasonings and add the pasta:

Once the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, adjust seasonings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a little more sugar if the sauce is too acidic. Add more tomato sauce if the sauce is a little dry. Stir in the cooked penne pasta. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Elise Bauer

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
516	Calories
28g	Fat
31g	Carbs
36g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	516
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g	35%
Saturated Fat 9g	43%
Cholesterol 101mg	34%
Sodium 1051mg	46%
Total Carbohydrate 31g	11%
Dietary Fiber 4g	14%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 36g
Vitamin C 14mg	72%
Calcium 73mg	6%
Iron 6mg	32%
Potassium 982mg	21%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.