Go Back
Beef & Mushroom Rigatoni

Hearty Beef and Mushroom Rigatoni (Easy Ragu Sauce)

This rich, flavorful Beef and Mushroom Rigatoni sauce tastes like it simmered all day! Made with a secret for deep umami flavor, it's the ultimate cozy weeknight pasta dinner.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

For the Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large yellow onions chopped
  • 6 medium carrots peeled and chopped
  • 1 lb ground beef 80/20 or 85/15
  • 2 lbs cremini or white button mushrooms cleaned and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 3 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For Serving:

  • 1 lb rigatoni pasta
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions
 

  • In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and carrots. Cook for 8-10 minutes until softened and starting to brown.
  • Add ground beef. Cook, breaking it up, until no pink remains and all liquid has evaporated. Do not drain.
  • Add mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their liquid and it has cooked off.
  • Stir in tomato paste, oregano, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  • Pour in red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 1 minute.
  • Stir in diced tomatoes and the bay leaf. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer.
  • Cover and simmer for at least 1 hour. For a thicker sauce, uncover and simmer for an additional 30-45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
  • While sauce simmers, cook rigatoni in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
  • Toss the hot, drained pasta with the sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed to loosen it. Serve immediately with plenty of grated Parmesan.

Notes

The key to deep flavor is letting the liquid from the meat and mushrooms fully evaporate to create a "fond" (brown bits) in the pot. The sauce freezes perfectly for easy future meals.