These noodles caught my eye at Target the other day and when I saw a recipe on the back of the box I thought I would give it a try. SOOOOOO glad I did!! This recipe was so easy and so incredibly tasty!! I didn't have fresh parsley or basil so I used dried but I can't imagine it tasting any better.
(These noodles are called Fusili col buco -- I bought the Giada brand from Target)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced (I used half of this)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced (I did 2 carrots just to add a little more healthy goodness)
1 pound ground beef
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I used an Italian blend that I already had)
1 pound Giada Fusili Col Buco, cooked according to package directions) -- (I cooked the pasta the full 14 minutes and it was not soggy at all)
Directions:
-In saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, and carrot; saute until onion is tender, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to high, add ground beef; cook until no longer pink, breaking up large clumps, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley, basil, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat until sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Stir in cheese; season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cooked pasta.
Makes 6-8 servings (This fed my whole family. My girls both had thirds or fourths, I lost count. And we had more than enough left-overs for a few of us to have it for lunch.)
**Next time I think I will try adding some diced zucchini. I'm thinking if I dice it like the carrots and celery then I can disguise it enough to get my kiddos to eat it. :)
