make it work. [ground beef pasta]

Standard Caroline move–I went grocery shopping this weekend without any recipes in mind. I decided to pick up some ground beef, figuring I’d find a desirable recipe somewhere on the Internet.

Though, when I got home and considered making beef stroganoff or a Hamburger helper type mac and cheese, I of course didn’t have all the ingredients. So that’s why they recommend making a grocery list. Ah, makes sense.

Anyways, this simple beef pasta is something I whipped up mostly with ingredients already on hand. It’s not a pasta I’d typically make, but the flavors worked well together–particularly the Worcestershire and soy sauce.

Recipe:

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 box orecchiette

1 cup sweet onion, finely diced

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

4-5 carrots, finely chopped

2 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, plus more to taste

1 1/2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce, plus more to taste

1/2 tsp. dried oregano, plus more to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup beef broth, if desired

Directions:

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and fill pan with water, about half way. Once meat is cooked, remove from heat and strain. Return beef to pan, and reduce heat to low.

In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic and carrots until translucent, and carrots are soft. Add vegetables to the meat, then add Worcestershire, soy sauce, oregano and salt and pepper, to taste.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add orecchiette and cook until slightly aldente, about 10-12 minutes. Strain pasta, then return to pot.

Pour meat mixture into pasta pot. If pasta is too dry, add additional Worcestershire, soy sauce, or add beef broth.