Hearty Italian Beef Rigatoni
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This hearty Italian beef rigatoni is one of those recipes that happened almost by accident. It started as soup and then I changed my mind. It needed something more and cooking the pasta in the tomato broth rounded out the dish perfectly.
There are a lot of different dishes one can do with beef cubes, but usually we don’t think of making a hearty pasta beef dish, but this hits all the boxes. Pasta lovers and meat lovers get a bowl that is sure to please and makes a cold winter more palatable.
Ingredients
The list might look long, but these are items you most likely have in your pantry.
- beef cubes,
- carrots,
- onion
- celery
- beef broth
- wine
- canned tomatoes
- beans (optional)
- short rigatoni
- pecorino
- herbs
- Begin by browning beef cubes. I think it’s important to trim any fat after browning. Enough of the fat will be in the pan and can be deglazed.
- Soffrito: Chop onion, carrots, celery, as this is the go to for starting almost any soup or stew to build flavor.
- Use boxed organic beef broth, canned tomatoes, white beans and a little red wine.
- Short rigatoni make the perfect replacement for potatoes, which makes this a stew and not a soup. The rigatoni are cooked right in the pot, soaking up the broth, absorbing flavor and making this a hefty stew. You could use penne pasta also.
Variations
- You could make a similar dish with a pot roast, or even change the meat around and use boneless pork chops.
- Switch out the pasta to a different macaroni like penne.
- Add dollops of ricotta cheese!
More Dishes with Beef Cubes
- Beef Ragu
- Italian Beef Stew
- Irish Stew
- Beef Cabbage Soup
- Tomato Beef Soup with Einkorn Berries
- Beef Macaroni Soup
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Beef Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery diced
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 pound beef cubes
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 cup Italian San Marzano Tomatoes
- 1/2 pound rigatoni
- 1/2 cup pecorino romano grated
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 1 bay leaf
- salt, pepper for seasoning
Instructions
- Make sure meat is dry (use paper towel) so it will brown better. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. I used a dutch oven. Add beef cubes and brown. Do this in stages because you don't want to crowd the pan.
- Remove meat to a plate and set aside.
- Add in vegetables Saute for a few minutes.
- Deglaze pot with the wine.
- Crush the tomatoes with your hand and add to pot.
- Add beef pack to pot, along with broth, bay leaf.
- Braise the beef for two hours or until tender.
- Rinse beans in cold water. Add to pot.
- Once the beef is tender, add in pasta. The pasta will absorb a lot of the liquid. If you find there's not enough liquid in pot for pasta, add some water or more broth. Make sure the soup is boiling before adding in the pasta. Cook until pasta is done. It will absorb the broth and and the starch will thicken it into a nice sauce.
- Serve with pecorino romano and any sprinkle of herbs you like.
- Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper only if needed.
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