Start: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and place 3 cored tomatoes core-side down.
Add: Add ¾ lb ground beef, ½ diced onion, 3 cloves garlic, and 1 tablespoon tomato paste around them, cover and cook for 7 to 8 minutes.
Brown: Remove the lid, break up the ground beef, and cook until browned and the onion is softened.
Peel: Peel the skins off the tomatoes.
Crush: Crush the tomatoes directly in the pan using a fork or masher to form a chunky sauce.
Season: Add 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and ½ teaspoon paprika, then stir to combine.
Cream: Lower heat to medium-low and slowly stir in ½ cup skim milk, letting it warm gently without boiling.
Finish Sauce: Add ¼ cup grated parmesan and stir until melted and the sauce becomes smooth and creamy.
Boil Pasta: Cook 8 to 9 oz pasta in salted water until al dente, reserving a splash of pasta water before draining.
Combine: Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen.
Serve: immediately, with extra parmesan, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
If your tomatoes are super juicy, let the sauce cook an extra minute or two before adding the milk so it doesn’t get too loose.
This is one of those recipes where the pasta water can save you. If things feel tight, just loosen it up and it comes right back together.
Skim milk works great here, but if you want it richer, swap in whole milk or a splash of cream.
This is a good “end of week” pasta. You can play with it depending on what you’ve got and it still works.