Pasta with Rosemary Meat Sauce

This is one of my favorite ways to make meat sauce. The secret is a sprinkle of nutmeg and half a sprig of rosemary. It’s a warming meal that’ll heal your soul!!!! :)

Recipe by: Tierney Larson

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, minced

1 small carrot, peeled and grated

kosher salt

1 large garlic clove, minced

freshly ground black pepper

1 lb ground beef

about 5 grinds of fresh nutmeg, or a small pinch of dried

1/2 sprig of rosemary

2 tbl tomato paste

1 24oz can of whole peeled san marzano tomatoes, drained, reserving the tomato juice

a squeeze of lemon juice

1 lb of spaghetti or linguine

Grated parmesan

a handful of parsley leaves, chopped

Ok so…

Heat a medium sized pot, or your fav pot to make sauce in, over medium heat. When hot, add the 1/4 cup of olive oil. When it’s shimmering, add the onion and carrot and a pinch of kosher salt and stir. Cook stirring occasionally so as not to get color for about 7 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic, a few grinds of black pepper and let cook until fragrant about 1 min.

Then add the ground beef and break it up using a wooded spoon. Season the beef with kosher salt and some black pepper and let it cook until you no longer see pink. If there’s a lot of fat, drain the meat before adding the tomato paste, a few grinds of the fresh nutmeg and half of a rosemary sprig. Stir, taste and add more salt if necessary to bring out some of the flavor. Let it cook for about 2-3 minutes, until the tinny taste of the tomato paste has gone away. Then add the tomatoes. Break them up with the back of a spoon and add another pinch of salt. If the pan is dry, add a splash of the tomato juice or water or broth.

Let it simmer for 20 min minimum up to an hour, checking now and then to make sure it’s not drying out. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch more salt or pepper if necessary, and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavors.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Once cooked, add the pasta using tongs directly into the sauce and a ladle full of the pasta water. Stir until the pasta is coated in the sauce. Grate some parmesan cheese over top and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.