Wholegrain Pasta with Creamy Beef and Basil
Speed - 90%
Simplicity - 92%
Tastiness - 99%
94%
Great!
Wholegrain Pasta with Creamy Beef and Basil is a simple recipe, yet really delicious. Easy to prepare for a quick dinner.
Ingredients
- 10 oz beef sirloin
- 14 oz Tomato Paste
- 1 Yellow Onion large
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Small Bunch basil leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 10 oz Wholegrain Pasta
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salty water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop the onion and slice the garlic.
- Cut the meat in bite size pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet.
- Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Add the meat and cook for 1 minute on each side.
- Stir in the tomato paste and simmer until the meat is cooked through, for 5-6 minutes more.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the chopped basil leaves. Stir for the flavors to combine.
- Rinse the pasta under running water.
- Transfer the pasta on 2 serving plates, add the sauce and garnish with more basil leaves to serve.
Usually pasta are easy to cook and this recipe is no exception. A few ingredients, about 25 minutes time for cooking.. what can be easier? The exquisite flavor is given by the unique combination between tomatoes and basil. These two ingredients pair very well and can bring any dish in the spotlight.
Beef sirloin cooks fast so you won't risk eating some undone meat. And the creamy sauce is a great addition to this dish because the pasta will simply melt in your mouth.
Everybody loves pasta, right? If so, I suggest that you try this dish when you get home from work. Or maybe on the week-ends when you hurry to catch a movie or to take a romantic walk. Pasta can be romantic too, when accompanied by a bottle of red wine.
Just a few ingredients and everything will be ready soon.
The wholegrain pasta give the healthy note to the recipe. By replacing the conventional pasta with wholemeal ones you will have a delicious, yet healthy meal. You will also benefit from all the minerals, fibers and vitamins in the whole wheat. If refining the flour all you get is the gluten which is not very well digested. When the flour and bran remain together, every molecule of the pasta is broken more easily and the digestion process will be smoother.
Bring a pot of salty water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions. Mine took 10 minutes to be ready. Wholegrain pasta need a few more extra minutes. If you are not sure if they're cooked through, just taste one.
Meanwhile, start preparing the sauce. Chop the onion, slice the garlic and cut the meat in bite size pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet and add the onion. Saute for about 3-4 minutes, until soft. I usually add a little bit of water when sauteing the onion (for soups, stews, etc), but it doesn't work for sauces. So, just the onion and keep stirring.
Add the garlic slices and saute for 1 minute more until fragrant. I just love the smell of cooked garlic.
Now, add the meat and cook for 1 minute on each side. It doesn't have to be well cooked because it will cook some more with the tomato sauce. Just to get slightly brown.
Here is the half-cooked meat.
Stir in the tomato paste. I used canned, but you can also use canned tomatoes or even fresh ones. You will probably need about 6-8 ripe tomatoes to prepare this sauce. But I can tell you it will worth it. There is nothing that can compare with fresh tomatoes. Even if you can them yourself, they won't have the same taste as some tomatoes just picked up from the garden. If it's the tomato season where you live, go for it!
The sauce begins to come together and thicken a little bit. Bring the heat to low and simmer for 5-6 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Turn the heat off and chop the basil. Only add this herb after the cooking time is over to benefit of its full flavor. I love cooking with herbs so I grow my own. Don't imagine that I have a huge herb garden. I grow them in pots on my balcony. I have two varieties of basil (Italian and lemon), parsley, sage, thyme, coriander, rosemary and mint. It's very nice and easy to have herbs on hand whenever I need some instead of going and buying them.
After the cooking time for the pasta is over, use a colander and rinse them with cold water. This process will prevent them from getting sticky.
And here is the result: wholegrain pasta with creamy sauce. You may top with grated Parmesan cheese, but I didn't have any in my fridge.
Garnish with some more basil leaves and enjoy.
Ingredients
- 10 oz beef sirloin
- 14 oz Tomato Paste
- 1 Yellow Onion large
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Small Bunch basil leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 10 oz Wholegrain Pasta
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salty water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop the onion and slice the garlic.
- Cut the meat in bite size pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet.
- Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Add the meat and cook for 1 minute on each side.
- Stir in the tomato paste and simmer until the meat is cooked through, for 5-6 minutes more.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the chopped basil leaves. Stir for the flavors to combine.
- Rinse the pasta under running water.
- Transfer the pasta on 2 serving plates, add the sauce and garnish with more basil leaves to serve.
Leave a Reply