2020 Holiday Cooking Special Series, Day 4 - Rotini & Ground Beef Ragout Medley
2020 Holiday Cooking Special Series
Day 4: Rotini & Ground Beef Ragout Medley
As I have highlighted in a previous post, I absolutely love rotini pasta - light yet filling, simple yet versatile and sophisticated all at the same time. It is incredibly easy to prepare and its uniquely spiral structure naturally ensures that it will pair beautifully with numerous sauces and accompaniments. Thus, it is not surprising that I came up with yet another rotini recipe to add to my growing stash - this hearty Rotini & Ground Beef Ragout Medley is the perfect comfort food that will truly warm your heart and feed your soul.
To prepare this recipe, first dice a variety of vegetables including 2 large green zucchini (round slices), carrots (cubed), red onions, 1 large orange bell pepper (cut into thin strips), and 3 small tomatoes. Place about 2 pounds of lean ground beef in a large skillet and let this cook down slowly under medium heat until the meat is fully cooked through and all the moisture completely evaporates. Concurrently, boil 5 cups of cold water in a large pot, season generously with some salt and a bit of oil, then pour in 1 whole box of dry rotini pasta. Stir and let this cook through for about 9 minutes - be sure to keep about 2 cups of the pasta water as it will play a crucial role in building the sauce.
In the same skillet containing the cooked ground beef, drizzle about 3 tablespoons of olive and lightly brown the ground beef. Then pour in the medley of diced vegetables, starting with the red onions and tomatoes first and letting this cook down under medium heat for about 5 minutes before adding in the rest of the vegetables. Season with 1 teaspoon each of dry oregano, smoked paprika, ground black pepper, and some salt to taste. Stir continuously and allow the ingredients to blend well together for another 5 minutes. Add pasta water bit by bit as needed to prevent coating and start developing the base sauce. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar or parmesan cheese over the sauce and stir into the rest of the ingredients. Finally, pour in the cooked rotini pasta and mix thoroughly. Let this cook for about 3 minutes before turning off the heat and serving the pasta hot as a heart-warming main dinner dish. Enjoy! 😍😋💖
