Easier than lasagna, because it’s not, this pasta, meat sauce and ricotta toss-up is just as hearty and comforting as the layered Italian fave, but it’s ready in a fraction of the time and with much less effort.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound curly short cut pasta (recommended: campanelle by Barilla, fusilli or cavatappi
- Coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, eyeball it in your palm
- Black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice, eyeball it in your palm
- 1 teaspoon, several drops, Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup dry red wine, a couple of glugs
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup fresh basil, about 20 leaves
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls, plus some to pass at table
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt water and cook pasta to al dente. Heads up: you will need a ladle of the starchy cooking water to help form sauce before draining.
- Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add the meat and break it up into small bits as it caramelizes. Once meat has good color to it, 4 to 5 minutes, add garlic, onions and red pepper flakes and season with salt, pepper, allspice and Worcestershire sauce. Cook another 5 minutes, deglaze the meat and onions with red wine, cook off a minute, then combine about 1/2 cup of stock into the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 5 minutes.
- Place ricotta cheese in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Add a ladleful of boiling, starchy pasta water to the ricotta and stir to combine. Add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan to the ricotta and mix it in.
- Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with cheeses. Add half the thick meat sauce to the pasta bowl and combine. Tear or shred the basil and add to the meat and pasta, toss again. Taste to adjust salt and pepper. Serve bowlfuls of Not-sagna with extra sauce on top and more grated Parmesan to pass at the table.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1053 |
| Total Fat | 43 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Carbohydrates | 108 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 9 g |
| Sugar | 15 g |
| Protein | 58 g |
| Cholesterol | 149 mg |
| Sodium | 1496 mg |
Reviews
This was a delicious weeknight meal for the family. Easy and comforting and the whole family loved it. Another win by Rachael!
I usually give Rachel 5 stars, but I made some changes to this one, so I can only give it 4. I used my own marinara like a lot people here which did not include the worchesire or allspice. I also made a beschamel sauce with the cheeses and added some mozzarella. I added the noodles to the beschamel and then kinda layered the white and red sauces, topped with some parmesean and baked in the oven for about 15 min until the cheese was all melty. I think this is a great idea and I know Rachel wouldn’t mind me making it my own :]
This has become a staple in my house. Nothing is quicker and more delicious when you are in the mood for lasagna. I usually make mine vegetarian and just add frozen spinach or fresh zucchini. I have even used green beans, and they were delicious. I also use jarred marinara when I am especially tired and don’t feel like cooking. My picky husband loves it too. This is definitely a recipe worth trying.
tasty!!!! Have made it several times. Love it because of flavor and quick instead of all day with lasagna makings.
Very good! I was asked to add this into our weekly rotation. I didnt put any allspice or worschtershire sauce, and I replaced the crushed tomatoes with a jar of tomato basil sauce. Turned out delicious!!!! Had it for dinner and lunch! Will definately be making this again!
It was great and the kids enjoyed it too. That is always a plus in my book. Way to go Rachael Ray. Thanks!!!
I love this dish. The fresh basil is a great addition.
The sauce was great. I used ground beef instead of sirloin, and it was fine. I really love the idea of tossing the pasta in the ricotta and boiling water. I look forward to trying this technique again in other pasta recipes.
This is a great idea to feed a crowd! I didn’t use her sauce recipe because I have one that my family loves, but I can comment on how much food this is. We fed 6 adults and 2 kids and still had enough leftover for probably 2 more people. Great idea!
I substituted Morningstar Veggie Crumbles for the ground sirloin and cottage cheese for the ricotta. I agree that a good marinara is better than the crushed tomatoes. It’s great for when you have people coming for lunch last minute!