Creamy Tuscan Beef and Penne

🥘 Ingredients

• butter
  2 tbsp
• cream cheese
  4 oz
• ground beef
  1 lb
• kale
  1 bunch
• olive oil
  2 tbsp
• parmesan cheese
  ⅓ cup
• penne pasta
  12 oz
• scallions
  3 stalks
• sour cream
  ½ cup
• tomato paste
  2 tbsp
• tuscan heat spice
  1/2 tbsp

🍳 Cookware

• large pot
• large pan
• large bowl

1. 

   1

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry all produce. Trim and thinly slice scallions , separating whites from greens. Remove any large stems and ribs from kale ; thinly slice leaves.

   scallions: 3 stalks, kale: 1 bunch
2. 

   2

   Heat a large drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through ⏱️ 4 minutes . Turn off heat. Using a slotted spoon and leaving as much fat in pan as possible, transfer beef to a large bowl .

   olive oil: 2 tbsp, ground beef: 1 lb
3. 

   3

   Once water is boiling, add penne pasta to pot. Cook until al dente ⏱️ 10 minutes . Reserve 2 cups pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside. Return pot to stove.

   penne pasta: 12 oz
4. 

   4

   Add kale to pan with reserved fat and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until tender and bright green ⏱️ 5 minutes . If pan seems dry, add another drizzle of olive oil. Turn off heat. Transfer to bowl with beef.
5. 

   5

   Heat 1 TBSP butter in pot used to cook pasta. Add scallion whites and half the tuscan heat spice . Cook, stirring, until tender ⏱️ 1 minute . Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until dark red ⏱️ 1 minute . Stir in cream cheese , sour cream , and ¾ cup pasta cooking water until thoroughly combined. Reduce heat to medium low.

   butter: 2 tbsp, tuscan heat spice: 1/2 tbsp, tomato paste: 2 tbsp, cream cheese: 4 oz, sour cream: ½ cup
6. 

   6

   Stir beef and kale, pasta, remaining 1 TBSP butter, ¼ cup remaining pasta cooking water, and remaining Tuscan Heat Spice into pot with sauce. Cook, stirring, until thoroughly combined ⏱️ 1 minute . If pan seems dry, gradually add remaining pasta cooking water to achieve desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta between bowls. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and scallion greens.

   parmesan cheese: ⅓ cup