Pasta alla Montecarlo

No ratings yet

Pasta alla Montecarlo is a delicious meat sauce made with vegetables, beef and sausage simmered in a tomato sauce with cream and wait for it...pesto! A unique and utterly delicious and comforting recipe that you've just got to try!

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Author: Emily Wyper

Ingredients

1 Onion
1 Carrot
4 Italian Sausages (about 250g/1.2 lb)
1/2 lb (250g) ground beef or veal
1 and 1/4 cup heavy cream (double cream UK) (300ml)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup (120ml) white wine
2 tablespoons basil pesto
Parmigiano Reggiano for serving
1 lb (450g) rigatoni pasta (or pasta of choice)
salt and pepper

Instructions

Prep

Although you can use store-bought basil pesto, I recommend making your own. Follow our basil pesto recipe, then keep leftovers in the fridge for other uses such as sandwiches and salads.
Finely chop the carrot and onion.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well.

Make the sauce

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and gently sauté the vegetables for around 7-8 minutes until soft but not browned.
Next turn up the heat and add the sausages removed from their casings and the ground beef. Saute the meat until browned, if there’s a lot of excess moisture, keep cooking until most of it has evaporated.
Add the white wine and let it reduce by half or until you can no longer smell a strong alcohol smell.
Stir in the tomato paste, then add the cream with a small pinch of salt and pepper and simmer gently on a medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes.
10 minutes before the end, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
Turn off the heat and add 2 tablespoons of pesto along side the cooked al dente pasta. Toss until the pasta is full coated.
Finally add a generous grating of Parmigiano Reggiano and serve.

Notes

Storage - Cream based sauces are always best served immediately but leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 1-2 days. Reheat it on the stove and use water to loosen it as needed.

Nutrition