Best Penne Pasta With Meat Sauce Recipes

ONE SKILLET CHEESY PENNE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick, oven proof skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add meat and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Add onions and carrots and cook until meat is browned.
• Add bell pepper and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in crushed tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken bouillon, sugar, and all seasonings and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• After 10 minutes, stir in the water and pasta. Cover, increase heat to medium-high and cook at a vigorous simmer (you may need to decrease heat), stirring occasionally and replacing lid, just until the pasta is al dente, 12-16 minutes. Taste pasta often as reaches the end of cooking to ensure you don't overcook your pasta.
• Stir in the cream, Parmesan, and cheddar until well combined. Top the pasta evenly with mozzarella. Transfer the skillet to the oven (on the middle rack) and broil until the cheese is melted and golden, 2-3 minutes. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving.
• This makes wonderful leftovers - I think the flavors are even better the next day!

MEATY PENNE

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet, cook the chorizo over medium-high heat until cooked through, breaking up the chorizo into 1/3- to 1/2-inch pieces with a wooden spoon, 12 to 14 minutes. Drain on paper towels and cool.
• Heat the oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and onions. Cook until the vegetables are tender but not at all brown, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the salami and tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook gently until the flavors blend, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with the 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the arugula and basil. Stir until wilted.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Place the pasta into a serving dish.
• Add the chorizo sauce to the pasta. Toss to combine, adding the reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the sauce.
• Top with the Parmesan and serve.

PENNE PASTA WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat to boiling a large pot with 4 quarts of water in it. Once the water is boiling, salt it with 1 Tbsp 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 8-10 minutes, or whatever your pasta package says is appropriate for al dente (cooked but still a little firm). Drain.
• 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.
• 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. 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.
• 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.
• 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.

HEARTY PENNE BEEF

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in tomato puree, broth, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. , Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 10-15 minutes. Add spinach; cook until wilted, 1-2 minutes. , Drain pasta; stir into beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and cook until cheese is melted, 3-4 minutes. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pasta mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add broth or water if necessary.

PASTA WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When hot, add the meat and cook, without stirring, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Break it up with a wooden spoon, then add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the crushed tomatoes and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened and the flavors come together, about 1 hour.
• About 20 minutes before the sauce is done, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt liberally. Drop in the pasta, give it a stir and cook until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Remove from the heat, toss in the cheese and serve.