Down on the Ground? Try a Braised Beef Meat Sauce Instead

Most meat sauce recipes for pasta call for ground beef. There's nothing horribly wrong with this, but most butchers will tell you (off the record) that it isn't exactly the premium cuts that go into making ground beef. In fact, they usually end their answer with some statement like, "you really don’t want to know."

I just posted a super-easy recipe for a braised beef pasta sauce that's very similar to the standard ground meat sauce, but instead uses freshly cubed beef as the base. The advantages are obvious and delicious.

You get to choose the cut you like; I used top round steak, but rump, or chuck would be lovely. You can also control the fat content, trimming as you and your skinny jeans see fit. The recipe couldn't be more simple – after a nice browning, the beef gets braised in the simmering sauce until tender. I hope you give this braised beef sauce a try. Enjoy!

Photo (c) John Mitzewich