Pasta with Sugo

In Italian "sugo" means "sauce", and I can't think of a better use for our Sugo seasoning. They were made for each other! This recipe for pasta with sauce is SO EASY - you seriously won't believe you just made a sauce from scratch. It is lighter than the stuff that comes out of a jar too, so my kids like it better.  In fact, it's my son's favorite pasta dish! Try it with ziti or rigatoni so your sauce gets caught in those yummy little holes!

What you will need:

1 lb ground meat (I like to use a mixture of pork and beef)

12 oz uncooked pasta

8 oz tomato pasta

2 T Sugo Italian Seasoning

3 C hot water

olive oil

extra salt to taste

Boil a big pot of water for your pasta. Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large, high-sided skillet.  Brown your meat in the oil with the Sugo seasoning. Add the tomato paste and stir it in. Ladle in the 3 C hot water from your pasta pot. Now stir and let that simmer and reduce, uncovered, while you cook your pasta.

Cook your pasta for two minutes less than the package directions. (Ex: if the package says 10 minutes, cook it for 8). Scoop your almost cooked pasta out of the water with a slotted spoon and cook it in your sauce for the last 2 minutes. Make sure you stir it around to get all the pasta in the sauce while it's cooking.

You did it!  Garnish with chopped parsley and lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese. I love to serve this with a raw fennel and celery salad (see below for recipe!) 

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*Bonus recipe! 

Classic Fennel and Celery Salad

Mix together:

1 fennel bulb - trimmed, washed, and thinly sliced

5 celery stalks - trimmed, washed, and thinly sliced

segments from 2 oranges (fruit only)

juice from 1 small lemon

5 T good quality olive oil

salt/pepper to taste