It’s no secret that I love Fall. Every single thing about it actually.
I love crisp, cool days with scarves, boots and jackets. I love warm, cozy soups and stews. I love candles and early darkness and alltheholidays. I just love it.
In my world, pasta and Fall go hand in hand. Especially, hearty, meaty, cozy pastas that fill your belly and warm you to the toes.
The kind you top with lots of yummy cheese and sop up with crusty, garlicky bread. The kind you go to bed dreaming about and can’t wait to reheat for lunch the next day.
The kind that makes you love Fall too… even if you don’t.
This is one of those pastas.
Rosemary and mushrooms are a perfect pairing. The piney, woodsy rosemary and the hearty, flavorful mushrooms fill the senses with all sorts of good things.
And a little kick of heat in the background is never a bad thing!
We like this sauce over short noodles, like penne or rotini, but please use your favorite.
Just make sure you light a candle and pour yourself a little glass of wine to go with this dish. Everything tastes better by candlelight.
And you know what? You deserve it.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped
- 1 pound mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary
- 1 large jar or can (24-28oz) crushed tomatoes
- salt & pepper, to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
Directions
In a large saucepan or dutch oven, brown the meat, drain it and set aside.
In the same pan, in the little olive oil, sauté the onions and carrot over medium-high heat until soft and just barely golden, around 5-10 minutes. Toss in the mushrooms and sauté until they are starting to brown.
Stir in the garlic and rosemary and sauté for about 30 seconds, just until the garlic is very fragrant.
Stir in the meat, tomatoes, salt & pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Bring to a boil, taste for seasoning (adjust as necessary - more salt? more rosemary? more spice??), reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, or as long as you have.
This is a great sauce to dump into the slow cooker for dinner. Or to freeze and reheat another day for an easy meal!
Serve over your favorite noodles with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese on top if you'd like and a bit more chopped fresh rosemary if you have it.
http://sweetannas.com/2013/11/pasta-with-mushroom-rosemary-meat-sauce.html
