Speedy Pasta Skillet Recipe

Saturdays are busy days around our house. House-cleaning, laundry, bed-linen-changing, ironing; it's a day that calls for easy meals. This recipe is one I learned to make as a young teenager and have fed to my own family as the kids grew up.  It's always been a family favorite; it's tasty, cheap, quick to make, and can be modified to use whatever you have on hand.  It's a great main dish when you're too pooped to put much effort into cooking.

This recipe takes about 1/2 hour to make if you boil the noodles at the same time you cook the ground beef. It will feed about 5-6 people if you include a salad and another side dish.

Speedy Pasta Skillet

1 pound ground beef

1 cup onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup green onion, chopped (optional)

1 cup eggplant, peeled and chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon oregano (optional)

1 teaspoon parsley flakes (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1 cup grated cheese (optional)

1 pound rigatoni pasta, cooked to al dente

chopped tomatoes and cilantro for garnish (optional)

grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Set a large pot of heavily salted water on the stove at high heat.  When the water comes to a boil add your pasta.  Turn the heat down to medium and allow the pasta to boil until it's still a little firm (al dente). Stir occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Drain.

In the meantime, brown the ground beef, onions, green pepper, garlic and eggplant together in a large skillet. Drain any excess fat from the skillet. Season with the herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato paste to the meat and mix well.  Add the grated cheese and mix again.  Add the drained pasta to the meat and mix well.  If desired, garnish with chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and grated Parmesan cheese. 

Notes: All of the optional items are additions to the original recipe. You can use any kind of pasta: elbows, shells, wheels, tubes, whatever you have on hand.  Use any vegetable that your family likes. I've used peas instead of eggplant.  A relative uses frozen lima beans. Chopped kale, chard, or spinach would be lovely. Substitute Italian sausage for the ground beef. Use a pound of chopped mushrooms instead of ground beef for a vegetarian version. Use cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Swiss, or something entirely different for the cheese or don't use any cheese at all. The variations are endless.