Penne with Meat Sauce

Hong Kong was once a British colony and it is the international city of commerce, so there is heavy British influence in politics, cultures, and food. Many Hong Kong style cafes serve western style food, like meat sauce pasta, french toast, and baked pork chop rice. This dish, penne with meat sauce, reminds me the taste of Hong Kong. Enjoy!

Penne with Meat Sauce

2 servings

Ingredients:

–   ½ lb penne (or any kind of pasta)

–   ½ lb ground beef

–   3 bacon slices (diced)

–   ¼ onion (diced)

–   1 tablespoon tomato paste

–   ¾ can (14.5 ounce can)dice-tomatoes

–   ½ cup red wine

–   ½ – 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

–   1 tablespoon olive oil

–   ½ – 1 teaspoon dried oregano

–   ½ – 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

–   1 – 3 teaspoon garlic powder

–   salt

–   ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
2. Bring a large pot of water (salted) to a boil over high heat. Add the penne and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.
3. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, heat up the olive oil. Sauté the onions and bacon until the onions are soft and the bacons are brown.
4. Stir in the ground beef and cook for 3 minutes until the meat starts to turn brown. Season the meat slightly with salt and pepper. Add the dried oregano, dried rosemary, and garlic powder to your taste.
5. Pour the red wine into the pan, and stir often for a few minutes until the meat has absorbed the red wine.
6. Add the diced tomatoes and some of the tomato juice. Cook until the tomatoes are almost melted. Stir in the tomato paste until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Turn the heat to low, add half of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Take out 2 big scoops of meat sauce, put them in a bowl, and set aside. Add the cooked penne into the saucepan, and combine the meat sauce and pasta together.
8. Transfer the penne into a baking dish. Top with the 2 big scoops of meat sauce and the other half of the cheese. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tips:

1. If you like, you can skip the oven part and serve the pasta right away.