Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I last posted, but I’m back and have some new posts coming shortly. Have ground meat and thinking about what to do with it? Well, I made some penne pasta with meat sauce, using some Puerto Rican ingredients to jazz up the flavor. It’s a quick and easy. You don’t need to have a pressure cooker to make it, but it’s quicker and you only use one pot. Here’s my process. (Serves 6-8)
Ingredients meat sauce
- 1-2 Tbls olive oil
- 1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef (or other ground meat)
- 2 Tbls Sofrito (click link for my homemade version. You can also purchase sofrito in jars.)
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
- handful of cherry tomatoes or one whole tomatoes, chopped.
- 16 ounces uncooked penne pasta
- 1 packet each or Sazon con culantro y achiote and Goya Jamon (ham) flavor
- 3-4 finely chopped garlic
- 1 Tbl oregano
- 2 teaspoons adobo (click link for my recipe)
- 8-10 stuffed olives (optional)
- 1 Tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 1 Tbls red wine (optional)
- 1 jar pasta sauce (24 ounces)
- 2-1/4 cups water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves for toppings
1. Press the saute button on the 6-qt. pressure cooker (I use the Instant Pot). Add 1 Tbls oil and allow to heat up. Add the ground beef and cook until it’s no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes. Drain beef and set aside.
2. Using the rest of the oil and add the sofrito and cook for about a minute or two. Next, add onions and peppers. Now add garlic and tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes smashing up the tomatoes as you stir up. You can add a little bit of water to hydrate if the pot seems to get too hot/dry.
3. Once all incorporated and cooked, add packets of Sazon, Jamon, organo, Worcestershire sauce and saute for another 2 minutes. Be sure to add salt and a little pepper to taste. Add tomato sauce stir. Finally add meat, pasta, olives and water. Mix thoroughly, making sure that the pasta is submerged into the liquid. Turn off the saute feature.
4. Place the lid and make sure the pressure-release valve is closed. Select the pressure-cook button and set timer on high for 6 minutes. Once done, open the vale and quick-release the pressure. Remove the lid and gently stir to combine. It’s ready to serve with fresh grated parmesan and basil if you wish. I apologize for not having a final photo or serving, but trust me, it’s tasty. I hope you give this a try. Buen provecho!
Googie DEsigns 