Yields: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef preferably grass-fed
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- One 14.5-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes with their juices
- One 8-ounce can tomato sauce sometimes labeled tomato “puree”
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 8 ounces brown rice or whole-wheat fusilli pasta
- 3 packed cups baby spinach chopped
- 1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- For serving: optional
- 1 ripe avocado pitted, peeled and diced
- ½ small red onion minced
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the onion and garlic and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the ground beef, salt, paprika, and pepper to the skillet. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring the meat and breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula, until no longer pink.
- Stir in the tomato paste, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce and cook for 2 more minutes, then stir in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle, then stir in the beef broth and pasta. Simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.
- Stir in the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute, then stir in the cheese.
- Ladle the pasta into bowls and top with avocado, red onion, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds if you’re feeling the garnishes.