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6 square glass meal prep containers filled with creamy rigatoni with pork mince garnished with fresh basil and lemon wedges.
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5 from 13 votes

Creamy Tuscan Inspired Rigatoni with Pork Mince

This creamy rigatoni dish is Tuscan inspired, using sun-dried tomatoes, pork mince, onion and creme fraiche to form an indulgent and rich sauce.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: mains
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 563kcal
Author: Mimi Harrison
Cost: £1.02 per portion

Ingredients

  • 500 g (5% fat) pork mince (£2.50)
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced (£0.09)
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced (£0.69/3)=(£0.23)
  • 70 g sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced and removed of excess oil (£1.15/2)=(£0.57)
  • 500 g rigatoni (£0.65)
  • 4 tbsp creme fraiche (£1.10/2=(£0.55))
  • 100 g spinach (£0.97)
  • Fresh basil, torn to serve (£0.50)
  • ½ lemon, juiced (£0.54/4)=(£0.13)

Cupboard Essentials

  • ½ tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1½ tbsp flour
  • 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil
  • 400 ml chicken stock
  • Salt & pepper
Metric - US Standard

Instructions

  • Start by rapeseed oil into a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat. Add the mince into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Leave to brown for 5 minutes without stirring.
  • When one side of the meat has browned, use your spatula to break the mince apart and stir continuously for a couple more minutes until cooked. Remove the browned mince from the pan and set aside.
  • Reduce the heat and add 1 tbsp of oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. Add the thinly sliced onions and season with salt and lots of pepper. Fry for around 5 minutes before adding the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. At this stage, add the rigatoni to salted boiling water, setting your timer to 2 minutes minus the packet time.
  • Add flour into the pan with the onions and fry for around a minute before adding the mince back into the pan. Then, slowly pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring up to a low simmer. Once thickened, take the sauce off of the heat.
  • Reserving a generous amount of pasta water, drain the pasta. Stir the creme fraiche & lemon juice into the sauce before transferring it into the large saucepan with the rigatoni on a low heat.
  • Add a couple of ladles of pasta water along with the spinach to bring the pasta and sauce together and heat until perfectly al dente. Season with salt and lots of black pepper. Top with fresh basil and enjoy!

Notes

  • Use lean pork mince (less than 5% fat) for the best flavor and texture of the dish.
  • Brown the pork mince and use the fond for added flavor.
  • Don't overcook the pasta, and reserve a cup of pasta water to adjust the consistency of the sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 13g