Rachael Ray's Not-sagna Pasta Toss

— -- Not-sagna Pasta Toss

Easier than lasagna, because it's not lasagna, this pasta, meat sauce, and ricotta toss-up is just as hearty and comforting as the layered Italian fave, but it's ready in a fraction of the time and with much less effort. Serve with a simple green salad dressed with oil and vinegar.

4 servings

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente. Heads up: You will need a ladle of the starchy cooking water to help form the sauce before you drain the pasta. Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO, then the meat. Break up the meat into small bits and cook for 4 minutes to 5 minutes, or until the meat has good color to it. Add the onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes, and season them with salt, pepper, the allspice, and the Worcestershire sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes, deglaze the meat and onions with the red wine, cook off a minute, then stir the stock into the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and bring it to a bubble. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes. Place the ricotta cheese in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Add a ladleful of boiling, starchy pasta water to the ricotta and stir to combine them. Add a couple of handfuls of grated Parm cheese to the ricotta and mix it in.