Ritas Pasta And Meat Sauce Recipes

RITA'S SPINACH CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
• Crumble ground beef into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly until evenly browned. Drain excess grease, and stir in the tomato sauce, sour cream and thyme.
• Place the cooked pasta into the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Pour the ground beef mixture over the pasta. Cover with a layer of spinach. Top with shredded cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and lightly browned on the top.

RIGATONI WITH WHITE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Add enough oil to a large, deep sauté pan to coat the base and place over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until glassy and just tender, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the sausage and beef to the pan, breaking it into walnut-size pieces, and brown well.
• Pour in the wine and keep at a rapid simmer until the pan is almost dry. Then pour in 1 1/2 cups beef bouillon and lower the heat to medium. Simmer gently, uncovered, until the bouillon is nearly gone, stirring now and then. Meanwhile, chop the rehydrated porcini into small pieces, reserving the liquid.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add mushroom liquid to the sauce to cover the meat halfway (about 1 cup) along with the porcini and continue simmering until the sauce is loose but not soupy, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper; it should be highly seasoned. When the consistency is right, fold the cream in. Remove from the heat and cover.
• When the pasta water is at a full boil, add the rigatoni and cook until still firm, but not hard, in the center. When the pasta is almost done, scoop out 1 cup of pasta water and reserve. Drain the pasta and then return it to the pot. Pour the pasta sauce on top and fold in with a wooden spoon. The pasta should not be dry. Add a little pasta water or mushroom liquid to loosen it. (It will continue to soak up sauce on the way to the table.) Serve in one large bowl or in individual bowls, passing the cheese at the table.

PASTA AND EASY ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium. Stir in carrot, onion, and garlic. Add ground beef, and cook until it turns from pink to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and their liquid, crushing them with the back of a large spoon. Stir in milk, bay leaf, thyme, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook fettuccine until al dente according to package instructions, about 12 minutes. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water; drain fettuccine, and return to the warm pot. Add meat sauce, and toss. Add pasta water as needed if the sauce seems dry. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan.

RITA'S PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Chop chicken in 1-inch cubes.
• Fry in olive oil in a large skillet until cooked.
• Add onion, peppers, garlic and celery seed.
• Fry for a couple of minutes.
• Add tomatoes, soup and Cajun seasoning.
• Simmer for 20 minutes.
• Serve over hot cooked pasta.
• Enjoy!