Beef Ragù

Like many people, I ate a lot of pasta in college. It was quick and required little effort. I could just cook it in an electric water boiler and shovel some jarred sauce onto it. There is no shame in using jarred sauce, and I still do so often, but this kind of slapdash cuisine is no longer satisfying to me. It is not to hard, however, to create a tasty pasta dish just from ingredients you have in your fridge or pantry. That's what I did today with this simple beef ragù. Ragù is simply a meat-based sauce, and can get much more complex than the quick one I present today. Traditional ragù originates from the Italian cities of Naples and Bologna.

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry pasta
• 1/2 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 1/2 tsp dry basil
• 1 1/2 tsp dry oregano
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• Salt and pepper
• Pinch of paprika
• Parmiggiano-Reggiano
• Olive oil

Instructions

While you are preparing the ragù, you can cook the pasta. Heat a pot of salted water and boil the pasta for about 10 minutes. I used farfalle, but go with your favorite. Once finished, drain, rinse, and set aside.

Dice the onion and finely mince the garlic. Heat olive oil on medium-high in a large sauté pan. Cook the onion until softened. Add the beef and garlic and turn heat up to high. Cook until beef is browned. While the beef is cooking, make sure to break up and chunks. Add basil and oregano while beef is cooking, and mix in. Season with salt and pepper also. 

Turn the heat back to medium-high and add both the diced and crushed tomatoes. Stir to integrate and simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika as desired. Now, transfer the ragù into the pot with the pasta, and stir to coat. When serving, grate or crumble Parmiggiano-Reggiano over the pasta. This recipe should make about three servings.