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Gluten-Free Penne with Weeknight Meat Sauce

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on May 23, 2019

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Gluten-Free Penne with Weeknight Meat Sauce

Ingredients

1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef 2 tablespoons water Salt and pepper ½ teaspoon baking soda 4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, chopped fine3 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving12 ounces gluten-free penne

Before You Begin

We use a food processor to make quick work of the mushrooms. If you don’t own a food processor you can chop them very fine by hand. Cooking times with gluten-free pasta vary from brand to brand. Make sure to taste the pasta often, as it can overcook quickly.

Instructions

  1. Toss beef with water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and baking soda in bowl until thoroughly combined. Let sit for 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, pulse mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, about 8 pulses, scraping down bowl as needed. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add processed mushrooms and onion and cook until vegetables are softened and well browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato puree, diced tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to gentle simmer. Stir in meat mixture and cook, breaking meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until cooked through and sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add sauce to pasta and toss to combine. Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve, passing Parmesan separately.
Gluten-Free Penne with Weeknight Meat Sauce
Styling by Marie Piraino.

Gluten-Free Penne with Weeknight Meat Sauce

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
2 tablespoons water
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
12 ounces gluten-free penne

Ingredients

1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
2 tablespoons water
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
12 ounces gluten-free penne

Ingredients

1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
2 tablespoons water
Salt and pepper
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
12 ounces gluten-free penne

Why This Recipe Works

We started with ground beef because it was still the clear winner in terms of speed, but we ramped up our sauce’s meaty flavor by adding umami-packed ingredients such as mushrooms and tomato paste. We pulsed the mushrooms in the food processor to get the right texture (larger pieces seemed noticeably spongy) and then sautéed them in the pot along with onions to develop plenty of flavorful fond. To keep the meat tender, we knew from test kitchen experience that tossing ground meat with baking soda and a little water and then letting it sit briefly would help tenderize it. We also knew to skip the browning step since that would only dry the meat out and make it tough. Instead, we added it straight to the pot after adding the tomatoes. After a brief simmer, we had a weeknight meat sauce with deep flavor and tender beef.

Before You Begin

We use a food processor to make quick work of the mushrooms. If you don’t own a food processor you can chop them very fine by hand. Cooking times with gluten-free pasta vary from brand to brand. Make sure to taste the pasta often, as it can overcook quickly.

Instructions

  1. Toss beef with water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and baking soda in bowl until thoroughly combined. Let sit for 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, pulse mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped, about 8 pulses, scraping down bowl as needed. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add processed mushrooms and onion and cook until vegetables are softened and well browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato puree, diced tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to gentle simmer. Stir in meat mixture and cook, breaking meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until cooked through and sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add sauce to pasta and toss to combine. Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve, passing Parmesan separately.

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