Pasta with beef and mushroom sauce

Freeze • the sauce can be frozen

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1¼lb (500g) lean ground beef

8oz (200g) mushrooms, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

pinch of oregano

1 x 14oz (400g) can diced tomatoes

1 tsp prepared basil pesto

12oz (350g) dried tortiglioni or other tube-shaped pasta

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1 Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Season well with salt and pepper, then stir in the ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking up any large chunks, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

2 Add the mushrooms, garlic, oregano, and tomatoes with their juices and stir well. Simmer for 10 minutes, then stir the in the pesto. Taste, and season again, if needed.

3 Meanwhile, cook the pasta as the package directs, or until it is tender yet still firm to the bite. Drain, reserving a small amount of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and toss together with the reserved cooking water. Add the meat sauce and toss again. Serve immediately.

Cook’s NoTEs:

Tossing pasta with a little of the water it was cooked in helps the sauce cling to it better.

Pasta with beef and mushroom sauce