Rigatoni with Spiced Meat Sauce

By pattie_d

Take an everyday staple and make it uncommonly good. Just skip the jar of red sauce in favor of our robust mix-ins and add-ons

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 12 ounces rigatoni or other short pasta
• 1 pound ground lamb or beef chuck
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

Preparation

Step 1

Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain, and return to pot. Set aside.

While pasta is cooking, cook lamb in a large saucepan over medium-high, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, 4 to 6 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, cinnamon, and cayenne, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in vinegar, and season again with salt and pepper. Add sauce to pot with pasta, and toss to combine.