BEEF AND CHORIZO BAKED PASTA WITH TOMATO CREAM SAUCE #Saucesome

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If you love Italian food like me, but don’t have the time to make a homemade sauce that can take hours, this is when I turn to a family favorite – Ragú® – for a little help and inspiration. Ragú® is recognizing and celebrating everything that makes family mealtime #Saucesome.

Do I feel guilty? Not at all. We all need a break every now and then, right? Whether you’re working 12 to 15 hours a day on your business like us or running up and down a flight of stairs chasing after your toddlers, sometimes we need a little help. Every once in a while, I feel the same way in the kitchen.

Don’t get me wrong. As a recipe tester and food writer, I take pride in cooking things from scratch. Be it a new salsa, mole sauce, or baking homemade pan dulce, I enjoy the process and, of course, the end result.

Still, there are times when I just want to relax with a Big Gulp size glass of wine and cook something that is delicious, yet quick and easy. When I am feeling this way I turn to those dishes that can be thrown into a crock pot or popped in the oven. And, even though, I am a “LatinoFoodie,” I grew up eating Italian food prepared by my mom.

I was just telling Art over dinner that I distinctly remember from the age of five until my early teens every year asking my mom to make me spaghetti for my special birthday dinner. As a kid, I couldn’t get enough of spaghetti or pizza. It was as if I had some blood line to the Palermo family in Sicily. For the most part, my mom would make her meat sauce from scratch. But, as her days turned busier I noticed she would enlist the help of a trustworthy friend – a jar of Ragú®. Ragú® has the Authentic Italian taste American family’s love and a variety of great tasting, quick and easy to make family favorite recipes.

In this recipe, I have turned the traditional Beefy Baked Ziti, which you can find on the brand’s website, into a new Beef and Chorizo Baked Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce. Adding the spicy Mexican chorizo turned this baked pasta dish from typical into something totally #Saucesome! We loved the kick of the chorizo spices, yet the Mexican cream balanced the heat and added depths of flavor to the baked pasta. Assemble the dish ahead of time if you like, so all you have to do is throw it in the oven when you get home.

Ragú® is recognizing and celebrating everything that makes family mealtime Saucesome. From unique recipes to silly moments to crazy weeknights…it’s all Saucesome with the delicious help of Ragú® Sauce. For more information and to enter for a chance to win a Saucesome kitchen makeover, visit www.RaguSweeps.com. You can also check them out on social media at the following locations:
• Visit Facebook.com/RaguSauce for additional delicious recipe ideas!
• Visit Pinterest.com/ragusauce for additional recipe mash-ups and recipe ideas!
• Check out Ragú® on Twitter @RaguSauce and #Saucesome

BEEF AND CHORIZO BAKED PASTA WITH TOMATO CREAM SAUCE
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 80 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons, olive oil
½ onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
½ teaspoon, ground cumin
1 tablespoon, red chili flakes
½ tablespoon, kosher salt
½ pound Mexican chorizo, casings removed and coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 jar (1 lb. 8 oz.) Ragú® Traditional Sauce
1 cup Mexican crema
1 cup water
1 cup requeson cheese (about 8 oz)
12 ounces uncooked ziti pasta (penne works just as well!)
3/4 cup shredded Oaxacan cheese (about 3 oz.)

Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. In a large skillet over medium-high flame, heat olive oil and add chopped onions and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes. Brown the ground beef, breaking it up and add the cumin, chili flakes, and kosher salt.
3. In another medium-sized skillet, cook the chorizo and drain any grease.
4. In a large bowl, combine Sauce, water, cinnamon, and Mexican cream. Stir in browned ground beef, Mexican chorizo, and requeson cheese, then the uncooked pasta.
5. Coat a 8 ½ x 8 ½ inch deep baking dish with cooking spray. Pour in the pasta and Sauce meat mixture. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 55 minutes.
6. Remove foil and sprinkle with Oaxacan shredded cheese. Bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
7. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro.

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This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Ragú® and Latina Bloggers Connect. However, all opinions expressed are my own.