This recipe turned out so super yummy! I would have liked a little more sauce with it, but other then that, loved it! I have to admit, as a cattle ranchers daughter, I was a little apprehensive about the ground lamb. But it actually gave the dish a really unique yummy flavor. There is one thing I changed on this recipe, and that is, the recipe said to use 4 ounces of feta cheese to sprinkle on top, which would have been way too much all on top of the pasta. So instead I mixed 3 ounces of the cheese into the pasta/meat mixture, and then used the rest to sprinkle on top. But over all, I would totally recommend this dish to anyone! Enjoy 🙂
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground lamb
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups uncooked rigatoni or large tube pasta
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Directions
In a large skillet, cook beef and lamb over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in onion, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, pepper and thyme.
Mix well. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions; drain. Stir into meat mixture. Fold in 3/4 feta cheese, saving the remainder to sprinkle over the top. Transfer to a greased 2 qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.
Recipe from The Taste of Home Cookbook
