Not-sanga Pasta Toss

So this is one of those cutesy Rachel Ray things - but it's still pretty awesome. You could also serve this in a 9x13 baking dish like regular lasagna. Toss the pasta and cheese, cover with sauce, add cheese, and throw under the broiler for a few minutes to brown it up.


1 pound curly short cut pasta (recommended: campanelle, fusilli, gemelli, or cavatappi
Coarse salt
1 pound ground sirloin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, eyeball it in your palm
1/2 teaspoon allspice (or ground cloves), eyeball it in your palm
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine, a couple of glugs
1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup fresh basil, about 20 leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls, plus some to pass at table
1 cup mozzarella cheese



Heat a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt water and cook pasta to al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Brown the ground beef; drain. Add pasta sauce and beef. Add the next 6 ingredients, garlic through wine.

Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 5 minutes.

Place ricotta cheese in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Add a 1/4 cup of boiling, starchy pasta water to the ricotta and stir to combine - you may need to add more to get the ricotta to a smooth paste. Add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmesan to the ricotta and mix it in. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with cheeses. Add half the thick meat sauce to the pasta bowl and combine.

Tear or shred the basil and add to the meat and pasta, toss again. Taste to adjust salt and pepper. Serve bowlfuls of Not-sagna with extra sauce and mozzarella on top and more grated Parmesan to pass at the table.




--Adapted from Rachel Ray