Assisted Procrastination

This one is spectacular! Easy to halve for small portions or double for large crowds and it goes great with a salad and some crusty bread. I think I found it in a Real Simple magazine a couple years ago and it’s since been stuck to an index card in one of the Great Books of Recipes I Use Frequently. I promised to share this recipe with my SIL who I had the pleasure of serving this past week, and since I’m transcribing, I figure you can all benefit. Try it out (it takes less than a half hour from start to finish) and let me know what you think!

Spaghetti with Beef Mushroom Sauce

1lb dry spaghetti
2 Tbsp olive oil
1lb sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, chopped (or minced or pressed with a garlic press)
1lb ground beef
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce can w/juice)
1 cup heavy cream (just trust me on this one)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (fresh is best, but dust will do in a pinch)
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (somehow, I forget this every time)

Bring some pasta water to boil.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook  for about 6 minutes.

Add the spaghetti to the water and cook according to package directions.

Add the garlic, beef, salt, and pepper to the mushrooms. Cook until beef is browned, drain off fat. add tomatoes and the juice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir in the cream and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly (about 3 minutes).

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Toss until coated and serve. Sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. Watch them all dig in and come back for more, astounded that it’s really THAT good! Soak up praise using the crusty bread.

This entry was posted on June 12, 2010 at 1:40 pm and is filed under Starvation Cures. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.