Penne with Beef & Zucchini Ragu

🥘 Ingredients

• Italian seasoning
  2 tbsp
• PHILADELPHIA cream cheese
  1/2 c
• Parmesan cheese (divided)
  6 tbsp
• beef stock concentrate
  2 unit
• butter
  2 tbsp
• cooking oil
  1 tsp
• garlic (minced or grated)
  2 clove
• ground beef
  20 oz
• penne pasta
  12 oz
• pepper
• salt
• shallot (finely diced)
  2 unit
• sugar
  1 tsp
• tomato paste
  2 unit
• zucchini (grated)
  2 unit

🍳 Cookware

• large pot
• strainer
• box grater
• fine-mesh strainer
• large pan

1. 

   1

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; season with salt . Once boiling, add penne pasta . Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (1 1/2 cups for 4 servings), then drain using a strainer . Meanwhile, wash and dry produce. Halve, peel, and finely dice shallot . Peel and mince or grate garlic . Trim and grate zucchini on the largest holes of a box grater . Place zucchini in the center of a clean kitchen towel. Gather into a tight bundle and squeeze over the sink to remove as much liquid as possible. TIP: Alternatively, place grated zucchini in a fine-mesh strainer and press down with a spatula.

   salt, penne pasta: 12 oz, shallot: 2 unit (finely diced), garlic: 2 clove (minced or grated), zucchini: 2 unit (grated)
2. 

   2

   Heat a drizzle of cooking oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef *, shallot, Italian seasoning , a big pinch of salt, and pepper . Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and mostly cooked through, 3-5 minutes (it'll finish cooking in the next step).

   cooking oil: 1 tsp, ground beef: 20 oz, Italian seasoning: 2 tbsp, pepper
3. 

   3

   Add tomato paste to pan with beef. Cook, stirring, until tomato paste is well combined and beef is cooked through, 1-2 minutes. Stir in zucchini, garlic, and a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until zucchini is tender, 2-3 minutes. Stir in PHILADELPHIA cream cheese , beef stock concentrate , 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water (ladle straight from the pot if pasta isn't finished cooking yet), and 1/2 tsp sugar (for 4 servings, use 2/3 cup pasta cooking water and 1 tsp sugar). Simmer until sauce has slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. TIP: If you've got some on hand, add a pinch of chili flakes from your pantry for a spicy kick.

   tomato paste: 2 unit, PHILADELPHIA cream cheese: 1/2 c, beef stock concentrate: 2 unit, sugar: 1 tsp
4. 

   4

   Reduce heat to medium low. Stir drained penne, half the Parmesan cheese , and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) into pan with sauce until combined. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce. Divide pasta between plates or bowls. Top with remaining Parmesan and serve.

   Parmesan cheese: 6 tbsp (divided), butter: 2 tbsp
5. 5

   Ground Beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.