Beef rigatoni with loaded veg sauce

Easy pasta for the whole family

Serves

4 - 6

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

This beef rigatoni with loaded veg sauce is a delicious way to sneak extra goodness into a family favourite! Roasted veggies blend seamlessly into the rich sauce, so even the fussiest eaters won’t notice. Load it up your seasonal vegetables or whatever you have on hand in the back of the fridge.

The beef mince is packed with iron and protein, making this a hearty and nutritious meal for the whole family. If you want extra veggies, stir in some frozen spinach or baby spinach leaves through the sauce. A sprinkle of parmesan over the top is good too.

Vanya Insull

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Ingredients

Beef rigatoni

500g Quality Mark beef mince
3 tsp olive oil
½ cauliflower
roughly chopped
2 red capsicums
chopped
2 red onions
chopped
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dried Italian herbs
1 tsp brown sugar
garlic clove
peeled
400g chopped tomatoes
1 cube vegetable stock
1½ cups boiling water
500g rigatoni pasta

To serve

grated Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley
to garnish

Method

Roast the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. Line two trays with baking paper and spread out the cauliflower, capsicum and red onion. Drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for 35 minutes until tender.

Start the mince while the vegetables roast: Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the beef mince and cook until browned. Stir through the balsamic vinegar, Italian herbs and brown sugar. Reduce heat to low and set aside until the sauce is ready.

Blend the sauce: Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender. Add the garlic cloves and half of the crushed tomatoes then blitz until just combined.

Simmer the sauce: Pour the blended veggie sauce and the rest of the crushed tomatoes into the pan with the mince. Stir to combine. Dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water and add to the pan as well. Stir again and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce comes together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta: While the sauce simmers, cook the rigatoni according to the package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water. Drain and set aside.

Assemble: Add the cooked rigatoni to the sauce and stir to combine, use the pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.

Serve: Serve topped with grated parmesan and fresh parsley if you have it on hand.

Tip: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.