Christmas Pasta

This is a great pasta recipe for the holidays. It has a lot of ingredients, but it’s easy to make and can feed a lot of people. So great for the extended family visits.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 12 people

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 bayleaf
• 115 grams chopped pancetta
• 225 grams hot italian sausage
• 225 grams minced beef
• 225 grams minced pork
• 1 medium carrot peeled and finely chopped
• 4 celery sticks chopped
• 1 medium Onion chopped
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 tins Tomatoes
• 1 handful Parsley
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 900 grams Pasta Factory Penne
• grated parmesan for serving

Instructions

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and brown to render the fat. Transfer the pancetta to paper towels to drain. Add the oil to the pan, and then the meats and brown and crumble them for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, and pancetta bits.
2. Chop the carrot, celery, and onions near the stove and add to the pot as you work. Cook the vegetables with the meat for 5 minutes and then add the wine. Cook for 1 minute; add the stock and tomatoes to the pot.
3. Stir in the parsley, cinnamon and season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook 10 to 15 minutes, minimum, before serving. Reheated sauce only improves.
4. Toss the pasta (cook off only as much pasta as you need at the time: half a pound for every 3 people) with a couple of ladles of sauce to coat, then top the bowl with extra sauce. Top the pasta with lots of cheese, as desired.