Beef and ziti with roasted peppers and green olives
6
Points®
Total time: 25 min • Prep: 10 min • Cook: 15 min • Serves: 4 • Difficulty: Easy
The secret to the savoriness of this dish comes from the splash of olive brine added to the sauce as it finishes cooking. If you have fresh basil or rosemary, use it instead of the parsley for a bolder flavor. Another trick Italian grandmothers have used for centuries is to simmer red sauces with a rind of Parmesan cheese. The rind infuses the sauce with loads of flavor as it simmers. Be sure to save your cheese rinds in a zip-close bag in your refrigerator to have on hand whenever you are making pasta sauce or braising a roast. Just discard the rinds after cooking and before serving.
Ingredients
Uncooked ziti
6 oz
Olive oil
2 tsp
Uncooked 93% lean ground beef
1 pound(s), (7% fat or less)
Black pepper
¼ tsp
Red onion
1 large, chopped
Garlic
2 clove(s), finely chopped
Dried oregano
¾ tsp
Red pepper flakes
¼ tsp
Roasted red peppers (packed in water)
1 cup(s), drained and diced
Canned or bottled pickled green olives
16 olive(s), drained (reserving 2 tablespoons brine), coarsely chopped
Fresh parsley
¼ cup(s), chopped
Instructions
1
Cook ziti 2 minutes less than package directions specify. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking water
2
Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and black pepper and cook, breaking beef apart with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 4–5 minutes.
3
Add onion and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in roasted peppers, olives, and brine. Cook until heated through, 1–2 minutes.
4
Reduce heat to medium. Add pasta and reserved cooking water to skillet and cook, stirring often, until pasta is just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.
5
Serving size: 1½ cups
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