Heavenly Meat Sauce with Penne & Green Salad

truly sublime

What do you get when you take ground beef, canned tomatoes, a couple spices, and little bit of wine, and simmer it for an hour? Not much to write home about. It’ll be meat sauce, but like, metallic-tasting. Boring. Chunky in all the wrong ways.

But what do you get when you take ground beef, canned tomatoes, a couple spices, and little bit of wine, and simmer it for several hours?

You get the meat sauce of the gods.

There’s something magical happening in a long, slow simmer. Don’t try to rush it— you’ll just regret it.

So is this really a weeknight recipe? Yes, if you’re smart about it: if you’ll be at home during the day, throw it together at lunchtime (which will take you about 15 minutes), and let it simmer until dinnertime. If you’re going to be away from home, start it in the morning, then transfer to a crock pot to cook all day. Either way, it’ll come out amazing, and all you’ll have to do at dinnertime is cook the pasta and make a salad.

Want more recipes like these? Upgrade to our paid subscription to get access to the entire Lemon Egg recipe catalog!

---

Heavenly Meat Sauce with Penne & Green Salad
Cook time: 30 minutes active time + 2 hours (minimum) of simmer time
Serves: 6-8 (make 1 lb of pasta for fewer than 6 people, 2 lb for 6-8; for fewer than 6 people, you’ll have leftover sauce, which freezes great for another meal!)

For Dietary Restrictions

• Gluten free: use gluten-free pasta.

• Dairy free: omit cheese.

Kids Can Help

• Break up ground beef, add seasonings, open canned tomatoes, wash salad ingredients

Ingredients

For the sauce:

• 1.5-2 lbs ground beef (85/15 is best)

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 ½ tsp garlic powder

• 1 6 oz can of tomato paste

• 2 28 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes with their juice

• ½ cup red wine (optional but highly recommended) This is a great way to use up the end of a bottle - or start a bottle and drink the rest with dinner!

For the meal:

• 1-2 lb whole wheat penne or pasta of your choice (make 1 lb of pasta for fewer than 6 people, 2 lb for 6-8)

• 1 head romaine lettuce (for the salad)

• 1-2 Roma tomatoes (for the salad)

• Salad dressing of choice

• Parmigiano Reggiano for serving

---

Directions

Step 1

In a large (5-6 qt) skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the ground beef; don’t stir too much at first to allow it to sear.

Step 2

Add salt and garlic powder. Flip, allow to sear again, then break up into small pieces as it continues cooking.

Step 3

Add the cans of diced tomatoes (including juice), tomato paste, and wine (if using) and mix thoroughly.

Step 4

Cover and bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or cook in a crockpot on low, 2-8 hours or overnight.

Step 5

When you are ready to serve, cook the pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, wash and chop your salad veggies and grate the Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve as soon as the pasta is tender. Enjoy!