One Pan Rotini
A quick delicious meal with little clean up! I add broccoli at the end of the cooking time to make it truly a one pot meal
A quick delicious meal with little clean up! I add broccoli at the end of the cooking time to make it truly a one pot meal
- 1 cup chopped onion
- parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 14.5 oz can beef broth
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 3 cups water
- 1 29 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tbl ketchup
- 1 tbl worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 16 oz rotini uncooked
- chopped olives
- Carbohydrate 37.9142187321577 g
- Cholesterol 145.1509255 mg
- Fat 39.7485269819856 g
- Fiber 3.89665613775893 g
- Protein 41.1989048054696 g
- Saturated Fat 17.7286579770406 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (384g)
- Sodium 1545.85180597218 mg
- Sugar 34.0175625943988 g
- Trans Fat 7.18958513810422 g
- Calories 672 calories
Step-by-step
- In a 4 quart sauce pan cook meat, onion, and garlic till meat is throughly cooked; drain grease.
- Stir in water, broth, tomato sauce, ketchup, worcestershire sauce mustard and seasonings; heat till boiling.
- Add uncooked pasta and olives; return to boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and cover.
- Cook stirring fequently, 12 minutes until pasta is tender.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve and sprinkle with cheese.
- I add frozen broccoli with 5 minutes cooking time left.
Stirring frequently during the twelve-minute covered simmer prevents the heavy starches released by the 16 ounces of uncooked rotini from settling against the bottom of the four-quart saucepan and scorching. When cooking pasta directly in sauce rather than boiling it separately in salted water, starch accumulation acts as a natural thickener that requires constant mechanical disruption to remain evenly distributed. A stainless steel pot works better than non-stick for this technique because it allows you to scrape up any early fond formed by the ground beef without damaging specialized coatings.
Brown the ground beef alongside the chopped onion and minced garlic over medium-high heat until the meat loses its pink color entirely, ensuring you drain off excess fat so the final sauce does not separate into an oily film. Failure to drain the rendered fat properly remains the primary reason single-pot meat sauces turn heavy and greasy, while overcrowding the pan during the initial browning phase causes the beef to steam rather than sear. Utilizing a broad pan base provides enough surface area for proper moisture evaporation during this crucial twenty-minute prep stage.
Combining beef broth, tomato sauce, and added water creates the precise liquid volume needed to hydrate the dry pasta without leaving the final dish watery or undercooked. The starches hydrate progressively as the temperature is maintained at a medium simmer, absorbing the seasoned liquid until the rotini reaches a tender bite. Adding frozen vegetables precisely five minutes before the timer expires prevents them from becoming mushy while ensuring they reach a safe internal temperature.
Leftovers stored in an airtight container within the refrigerator will keep safely for up to three days, though the pasta will continue to absorb ambient moisture and soften further. Reheating benefits from splashing a tablespoon of water into the pan before warming over medium heat to reconstitute the thickened sauce.
