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Epicurious

Rigatoni with Meat Sauce

4.0

(7)

The finished pasta in a blue enameled castiron pan garnished with shaved Pecorino and strips of basil.
Photo by Marge Perry

This is the hearty pasta dish that everyone loves to eat. It gets its stick-to-your-bones, deep, rich flavor from the ground beef cooked in red wine and a double hit of tomatoes. We use canned crushed tomatoes to give the sauce body and tomato paste for intensity. The diced zucchini melds into the sauce and adds texture and heft to the meat (and more vegetable nutrients). As with all heroic pasta dishes, the rigatoni cooks right in the sauce, which not only saves you from having to wash an extra pan—it makes the pasta more flavorful. Serve this with a green salad dressed with a shallot vinaigrette.

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