Creamy beef pasta
If you’re trying to eat more protein but refuse to sacrifice comfort food, this creamy beef rigatoni is exactly what you need. It’s rich, deeply savoury, and comes together in under 30 minutes — the kind of weeknight pasta that tastes like it took hours, but secretly didn’t.
Ingredients
400g rigatoni pasta, boiled according to packet instructions
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 long red pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
2 tsp smokey paprika
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic granules
2 tbsp tomato puree
2-3 ladles pasta water
500g 5% fat beef mince
75g mascarpone
Salt to taste
Roughly 30g grated Parmesan
Serves 4
Method
Boil the pasta in salty water according to packet instructions. Reserve 2-3 ladle spoons of pasta water.
Heat up the oil in a large pan. After a minute, add the chopped red onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes on a medium to high heat until softened.
Add the chopped red pepper, seasonings, and tomato puree. Continue cooking for a further 2-3 minutes, and add some pasta water to deglaze the pan.
Add the beef mince and roughly break it up using the back of a wooden spoon. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
Stir through the mascarpone and the rest of the pasta water until well combined. Reduce the sauce on a low heat for a further 2 minutes until nice and bubbly, then add in the cooked pasta and mix to combine well.
Grate a generous helping of Parmesan and serve warm.
