Orecchiette with Meat Sauce

I’ll bet you thought October was all about the pumpkin, right? Well, did you know that October is actually National Pasta Month? Yep. True story.

So, to honor one of my favorite ingredients of all time (i.e. pasta), I’m excited to share this Orecchiette with Meat Sauce with you. This recipe is super simple to make, and the flavors are just incredible.  The night I made this pasta for my family it was met some enthusiastic two thumbs from everyone there, including me 🙂

ORECCHIETTE WITH MEAT SAUCE   {PRINT THIS RECIPE}
Servings: 6-8          Prep Time: 15 minutes          Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 box or bag dried orecchiette pasta
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground lamb
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 cups beef stock or broth (I used low sodium)
1 – 2 cups pasta cooking water (reserved from the cooked pasta)
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus additional for garnish

-In a large stock pot, prepare the orecchiette according to the package directions, Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and keep warm.
-In a large skillet over medium/high heat brown the ground pork and lamb, stirring occasionally.
-Stir in the bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook an additional 3-4 minutes.
-Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the tomato paste, beef stock and 1 cup of the pasta water.
-Stir to combine. If you’d like a thinner sauce, add some additional reserved pasta water.
-Add the butter and 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.
-Add the meat sauce into the pan with the pasta and stir well to combine.
-Serve hot with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Mmmmm. Orecchiette with Meat Sauce. Just the title itself is music to my ears…and taste buds. Which reminds me of these fun music lovers wine glasses I painted for a customer a couple of years ago. They’re a little something black and white… to hold your red! LOL