Meat lover’s rigatoni is hearty, stick-to-your-ribs pasta with meat sauce that’s ready in a flash, and is sure to satisfy even the most ferocious of appetites.
Growing up in an entirely female household did little to prepare me for the ravenous appetites of men. Now, I’m not a gal that will ever be accused of being a dainty eater, but my men? My particular men can. put. it. away! I mean, I expect Bacon Slayer to eat like a man–he’s as swarthy as they come. But the Sons? They can eat so much at one sitting that I’m convinced that they have hollow legs and a hidden hoard of food somewhere in the house. An hour after I think that they couldn’t possibly eat any more, I’ll hear them rummaging around in the kitchen looking for a snack–likely leaving a rabbit trail of crumbs in their wake as evidence.
Perhaps with hope of following the trail back to the kitchen in case they were ever to lose their way?
Bottom line? My active boys can eat! I’m sure its biological. Or perhaps due to the fact that they burn about a bajillion calories a day running around being…well…just being boys.
I’m in serious trouble when the Sons are all teenagers and big eaters.
Heaven help us all if we’re coming in late for dinner because of sports or a day spent working outdoors. Nothing is worse than trying to cook with a pack of hungry men-folk underfoot. I swear that sometimes I feel as if I’m navigating through a sleuth of hungry bears, fresh out of hibernation, just to get my skillet out of the cupboard!
Whatever I’m cooking, it has to be fast and filling, and a meat lover’s meal, because those beasts boys want food, and they want it now!
Those are the nights when I stuff ’em full of meaty, meat lover’s rigatoni.
It’s a hearty, meaty, man-pleasin’ pasta that’ll fill their bellies. Not just for an hour, but for the rest of the night. Only then can manage I to stay out of the kitchen long enough to sit down and rest awhile.
♥♥♥
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 6
Hearty, stick-to-your-ribs pasta with meat sauce that’s ready in a flash, and is sure to satisfy even the most ferocious of appetites.
10 minPrep Time
15 minCook Time
25 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 14 oz. dried rigatoni pasta, (plus 1 Tbs. of kosher salt for the pasta water, if desired)
- 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ¼ lbs. lean ground beef (such as ground sirloin)
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. dried basil
- 1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tbs. Half & Half
- ¼ C. finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large stock pot filled with 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. If desired, add a tablespoon of kosher salt to the boiling water before plunking the rigatoni to the water. Cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. (Barilla brand rigatoni cooks for 9 minutes.) Drain the pasta.
- While the pasta is cooking, peel and dice the onion, as well as peel and mince the garlic cloves. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef in the olive oil along with the diced onion, until the beef is crumbled and almost cooked through. (About 5 minutes.) Stir the onion into the beef mixture, and continue to cook for an additional minute. Season the beef mixture with the salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. Pour the crushed tomatoes into the skillet, stirring well to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan over the sauce. Drizzle the Half & Half into the sauce, and continue to cooking the sauce for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Toss the cooked rigatoni into the sauce, folding it in until fully coated. Serve Meaty Rigatoni in bowls with additional Parmesan cheese, a nice hunk of crusty bread, and a side salad to round out the meal.
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