Mezzi Rigatoni w/ Meat sauce

I usually end up stir frying something quick during the weekdays for dinner but this time decided on something different this time. Did a little searching and I found this recipe over at Simply Recipes and thought I'd give it a whirl since I had most of the ingredients in the fridge anyway.

The original recipe calls for Penne but I love Rigatoni (not to mention it was in the pantry already) so I substituted that. Also added some more Italian seasoning and a little extra basil.

And as per my mantra, I always cook way too much for leftovers for at least 2-3 more meals :)

Enjoy!

Mezzi Rigatoni w/ Meat Sauce

Ingredients
1 pound pasta (use rice pasta for gluten-free version)
Salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (blend of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and savory)
Dash red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound (16% fat) ground beef
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 1/2 cups canned chunky tomato sauce (I use the Chunky Tomatoes w/ Basil)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method
1. Boil some water, sprinkle a little salt in, and cook the pasta until al dente.
2. While the pasta is cooking, add the onion, italian seasoning and red pepper flakes into a frying pan and cook for a couple minutes. Then add the thyme, some salt and pepper, and garlic and stir-fry a couple more minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Heat up another pan with some oil. Salt the bottom of the pan and brown the ground meat.
4. Once browned, add the meat in with the onions and the tomatoes. Add basil and sugar and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Dish and serve with some parsley sprinkled on top.

Here's the link again: Simply Recipes