Discover the ultimate comfort food with this hearty rigatoni recipe, featuring a rich meat sauce perfect for fall gatherings!
Fall is here, along with my cravings for hearty, home-cooked food. I don’t often make pasta, but I have been craving a good, meaty red sauce. Carter was in Arizona last weekend and said he had a good rigatoni, so I thought I would give it a try.
Ingredients
Portions depend on how much pasta you want to make – I provide a range – the larger portions will feed at least eight people
2 – 4 bags of good Italian pasta – I prefer Rustichella d’Abruzzo, which I purchase at Delaurentis in the Pike Place Market. Add more tomatoes for extra saucy and more meat for meaty.
1 – 2 pounds ground veal
1 – 2 pounds spicy Italian sausage
1 – 2 onions
3 carrots
3 ribs of celery
20 cloves of garlic
1 bunch Italian parsley
1 leek
1/2 tube tomato paste
1 bunch fresh oregano – dried also works in a pinch
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 can/jar sugo sauce – tasters choice – some have mushrooms, some cheese – you choose
1 large jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil – important
Salt and pepper to taste while finishing the sauce – don’t forget to season
Preparation
Brown the meats:
Place the browned meats in a colander in the sink to drain off excess fat. Set aside.
Make the soffrito:
Chop the onion, carrots, leeks, and celery, and cook them in a pan with olive oil on medium-low until they’re tender. Don’t burn it! I like to use the olive oil that the sundried tomatoes are packed in. It appears I also added the chopped parsley—I advise adding it at the end of the cooking, after you have mixed in the tomatoes.
Next, saute the garlic, then add in the chopped sundried tomatoes and tomato paste.
Now add the tomatoes to the soffrito.
Add the soffrito to a large pan—I use a cast-iron Dutch oven. I needed two, as I had a large batch and was feeding eight.
Add the meats and cook over low heat for about an hour, stirring every 5 minutes so the sauce doesn’t burn on the bottom—this is key.
Boil the pasta until al dente. Strain & drain, return the paste to the paste pan, and add the sauce, mixing well. Add as much sauce as you like – I like a lot. There is a lot of room for error in this dish, so don’t stress, and add in more of what you want. A big thank you to Carter for helping me with all the prep! Love you, son.
Serve with bread – buttered and garlicked is preferred. A salad goes well with the dish. Everyone left happy and full.
