Ground Beef Pasta with Pesto & Ricotta

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 28 oz whole tomatoes, pureed (or can add extra tomato sauce for a quicker substitution!)

• 8 oz tomato sauce

• 8 oz water

• 10 oz short chickpea pasta, such as cavatelli or shells (or your pasta of choice. We love chickpea!)

• 4 oz (1/2 cup) pesto

• 8 oz ricotta cheese, part-skim

• 2 oz parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions:

1. Add the ground beef, onion, and salt to a large, nonstick skillet. Bring to medium heat and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and the ground beef has mostly lost its pink color.

2. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.

3. Mix together the pureed whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Spread the pasta out in the skillet and then pour the tomato mixture over the pasta, making sure to push down the pieces so that all the pasta is submerged.

4. Bring to a boil, cover the skillet and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Stir the pasta once or twice while it's simmering.

5. Taste the pasta to make sure it's cooked through (if not, cover and simmer for 2-3 more minutes), then stir in 2 tablespoons of the pesto and dollop spoonfuls of the ricotta over the top.

6. Cover the skillet and take it off the heat to rest for a couple of minutes.

7. Serve the pasta with extra pesto and parmesan cheese.