Meaty Mac

This is one of my absolute favorite dishes! I invented it about 8 years ago, and it has become a favorite (possibly even a legend!) among my extended family members. Spaghetti with meat sauce was always a dinnertime staple in my family when I was growing up, but I had a picture in my head of an ideal version of this dish that I had never encountered in real life. I decided to try to make it, and it was an instant winner – it came out exactly how I wanted on the first try.

There were 4 requirements for this ideal pasta dish:

1. It would be made with a short pasta, not a long spaghetti that would require uncomfortable fork-twirling.
2. It would have a CREAMY marinara with meat in it.
3. It would have finely chopped vegetables in it, the way a Bolognese sauce does.
4. There would be a small amount of Italian cheese cooked into the sauce to give it complexity.

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What I did when I took a first crack at this imagined ideal pasta dish is the way I still make it today. The macaroni is very manageable to eat due to its small size. The tomato sauce is both creamy and tangy, with hearty meat and finely chopped onions, carrots and celery that, while cooked enough to not be crunchy, add some textural resistance to the sauce. While everyone has experienced spaghetti with meat sauce before, this version is truly something special — I often get asked to make this when visiting out-of -town family and it is also my go-to for any occasion that requires a casserole, such as a potluck or going to see a friends new baby. Serves 6 to 8.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped small
• 1/3 cup fresh carrot, chopped small
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped small
• 1/3 cup fresh celery, chopped small
• 1.5 lbs 90-92% lean ground beef
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 2 14.5 oz. cans Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes (with garlic, basil, and oregano)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup fine shredded or ground parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 lb. box short pasta, such as macaroni, rotini, or penne, cooked to al dente, with 3 Tbsp. of pasta cooking water reserved

Directions

1. Pour olive oil into an extra-large skillet and place over medium-high heat.
2. Add chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add chopped carrot, onion and celery to the pan and cook until slightly softened, about 4 minutes.
4. Add ground beef to the pan and sauté until fully cooked, about 7 minutes.
5. Add tomato paste to the pan, and use it to coat the cooked ground beef.
6. Add cans of diced tomatoes (do not drain), cooking mixture for about 3 minutes after each can.
7. Reduce heat to medium, and then add cream in 2 batches, cooking mixture for about 3 minutes after each batch.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low, and then add cheese in 2 batches, stirring briskly after each batch to incorporate.
9. Add pasta water and pasta to skillet, and cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Serve hot.