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.

Why we love it

This is the kind of meal we all need in our weeknight rotation. It’s hearty, tasty, and quietly loaded with goodness. VJ Cooks' Hidden Veg Beef Ragu is one of those recipes where no one even notices the extra vegetables, but everyone comes back for seconds. It's especially great if you're cooking for kids who aren't the biggest fans of greens.

What makes this ragu so great is the blend of roasted vegetables that melt into the sauce. You get the natural sweetness from roasted capsicum and onion, with a little creaminess from the cauliflower, all blitzed together to create a rich base that clings to every piece of pasta. And when it’s paired with New Zealand beef mince, it becomes a protein-packed dinner that ticks the boxes for taste and nutrition.

Make it work with what you've got

We’ve written the recipe with beef mince, but lamb mince works well too. It gives the sauce a slightly richer flavour and pairs just as well with the tomato and vegetable base.

Rigatoni is perfect for catching all the sauce in its ridges and tubes, but if you’ve got penne, spirals or even spaghetti in the pantry, go ahead and use what you have.

Easy swaps and add-ons

This is a great recipe for using what you’ve got on hand. No cauliflower? Try courgette or broccoli. Only got one capsicum? That’ll do just fine. You can even use frozen chopped veg if you're low on time or want to avoid food waste.

For extra veg, stir in some baby spinach or frozen peas at the same time as the pasta. They’ll cook through in minutes and add a lovely pop of green to the dish.

Need to stretch it a little further? Serve with a side of steamed broccoli or winter slaw. Leftovers can also be turned into a baked pasta the next night. Just add a sprinkle of cheese and pop it in the oven until golden and bubbly.

Time-saving tips

If you want to get ahead, roast the veg the night before while you’ve got something else in the oven. Then all you need to do is blend, simmer and boil pasta when it’s time to cook.

You can also make the ragu sauce in advance and freeze it. Just defrost, reheat and add freshly cooked pasta on the night. It's ideal for those evenings when you need something nourishing and fuss-free.

Prepare your ingredients by chopping the vegetables. Feel free to swap the veggies for what you have on hand.

Season the veggies with salt and pepper, add a little oil and roast until tender.

While the mince is cooking, blend the vegetables along with some garlic and crushed tomatoes.

Add the blended pasta sauce into the pan with the mince and simmer.

Stir through the cooked pasta

Serve with a sprinkling of fresh herbs and parmesan

A little note on pasta water

Before you drain your pasta, scoop out half a cup of that starchy cooking water. Stirring a splash of it into your sauce helps everything come together and creates that silky finish you usually get at your favourite Italian restaurant.

Leftovers and storage

Any leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to three days in a sealed container. They also freeze well. Just defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave.

This dish is a clever way to get the family eating more veg without even realising it. It’s simple enough for a weeknight, yet hearty and satisfying enough to serve when you’ve got friends around. Add a fresh salad or some crusty bread on the side and dinner’s sorted.