Red Sauce with Carne Picada

Red sauce with carne picada beef over gluten free penne

A simple pasta and meat sauce recipe using ordinary spaghetti sauce from a jar, some dried spicy spaghetti seasonings, and carne picada, small bits of sliced beef, rather than hamburger.

Modify to suit your household's preferences!  What is featured here is use of beef in a form other than hamburger. It doesn't really change the taste, but the difference in texture and appearance of this everyday food makes it interesting.

2 pounds carne picada beef
1- 24 ounce jar prepared sauce for pasta
Dry spaghetti seasoning blend, to taste

Brown meat in a pan in small batches, then put the browned meat into a 2-quart slow cooker. Skim off fat and add meat juices to the cooker.  Pour in the sauce, and cook on "low" until the meat is very tender. (Several hours.)  Stir in seasonings and turn off the heat, leaving sauce in the hot pot.

Bring a large potful of water to a boil and add gluten-free pasta.  Watch the pasta carefully because it will go very quickly from uncooked to overcooked!  Drain.  Serve sauce over pasta with some simple sides.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This dish is #94 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown!

Chili with Carne Picada and Red Beans

Chili with Carne Picada and Red Beans

2 pounds carne picada (thin-sliced beef)
3-4 cups red beans
1/4 cup corn meal
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
Chili powder
Cumin
salt
1 Tb oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper
Cilantro

Brown the meat in a pan, then pour it into a 2-quart slow cooker.  To this add beans, water, and tomato paste.  (If the pot looks too full, decrease water and/or beans.)

Wipe out the pan and return it to the heat.  When the pan is hot, sprinkle in the dry corn meal, and stir it while it browns to a light tan.  Add this to the crockpot for flavor and thickening. 

Pour about 1 Tb oil into the pan and saute the chopped onion and bell pepper.  Add these to the crockpot.  Add salt, chili powder, and cumin to taste.

Cook on low until the meat is tender, cornmeal fully cooked, and flavors well blended.  Stir in a handful of cilantro leaves and serve.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

This dish is #95 in the Baker's Dozen Challenge Countdown.