Easy Spaghetti With Meat Sauce
Updated Feb. 7, 2023
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½pound ground beef (preferably 20 percent fat), pork or dark meat turkey
- 12ounces spaghetti, pappardelle or other long pasta
- ¼cup tomato paste
- 2teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Grated Parmesan, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
523 calories; 16 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 71 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 462 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, 3 minutes. Add beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.
- Step 2
Add pasta to the pot and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, add tomato paste to skillet and cook, stirring, until darkened, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup water, Worcestershire, ½ teaspoon pepper and ½ teaspoon salt and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Using tongs, transfer pasta directly from the pot to the skillet along with 1 cup pasta water. Increase heat to high and simmer vigorously, tossing, until sauce reduces and coats the pasta, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan.
Private Notes
Comments
I don't understand why most pasta recipes call for boiling so much water. I never use more than will cover the pasta by an inch or so. I transfer the pasta to the sauce pan with tongs, well shy of al dente, adding the starchy, simmering pasta water little by little to bind the sauce to the pasta, keeping everything at a lively bubble. You can really control the results this way. Stirring often, from beginning to end, is crucial.
I've been making a version of this for years but I use ground veal and and red wine instead. Its amazing
My friend from Bologna gave me his tips: carrot and celery as well as onion. The carrot adds all the sweetness you need. Then a little milk at the end. No spices, just pepper (and salt). My tip is not to break the ground beef up at first. Flatten it out so it covers most of the pan and then don't touch it for several minutes, then turn it over and a few minutes more. It gets nicely seared and doesn't boil in its own liquid. Only break it up when it's well seared.
where's the molasses the introduction promises?
This recipe made no sense to me. It's calling for only ½ pound of ground meat to feed 4 people. That's ½ oz each, not enough for a bird. Furthermore, you are supposed to add this to 12 ounces of spaghetti. I reduced the amount of pasta to 8 ounces and it was still too much. In the end, it tasted okay, but it's disappointing that I can't trust recipes from the New York Times.
I liked it was quick, easy and steaming hot dish. Glad the spaghetti did not get mushy but really thought it was lacking taste. I like the ideas of adding some red wine, maybe celery & carrots to the onion. It held onto the sauce better an hour later but still was pretty bland....