I’ll be reviewing and tweaking GoodFood Creamy Ground Beef & Caramelized Onion Ragu.
If you came here thinking it was a vegetarian meal, you are at the right place!
Simply replace the ground beef with tofu and follow the same instructions below!
I did it and it tastes even better!
So for now, let’s get cooking.
Unfortunately, it looks like they do not offer this recipe publicly without signing up for their service. I cannot link it to the original recipe.
However, this is my elevated (and better) version of it!
Expected time to cook: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Very Easy
Average cost in CAD to buy if you shop your own ingredients for 3 people, remove 1$ per portion if you are using Tofu instead of Ground beef: $15.26 total ($5.07 per portion)*
In a hurry? Go straight to the cooking process
Table of Contents
Ingredients In The Package
Nutritional values
*The cost is accurate as of the time of writing this article.
Ingredients for 2 persons but 3 can easily feed on that dish
- 250g of Lean ground beef ($3.50)
- Option Tofu ($1.50)
- 15ml Minced or grated garlic ($0.25)
- 300g Brocolli ($2.50)
- 25g Caramelized onions ($0.50)
- 25g Croutons (seasoned or plain) ($0.35)
- 225g Fresh Rigatoni ($6.75)
- 30ml Vegetable demi-glace ($0.42)
- 30ml Heavy cream ($0.39)
- 10g Garlic and sweet pepper seasoning ($0.60)
Nutritional values
The Setup
Boil water
In a large saucepan, start boiling water with a bit of salt
Perfect Tips: Add two (2) tbsp of olive oil to your water. This will prevent starch bubble spillage.
While you are waiting for the water to boil…
Veggies
Cut the broccoli into florets and mince the garlic with a knife or use a zester (my favourite).
Simple enough for now?
Skim the beef fat
GoodFood gives you a meagre four (4) steps to create and cook your meal. I wish it was that simple. If you simply follow their steps, you will ruin your meal.
Although it is a pretty straightforward recipe to do, you always want to skim the fat off your beef, especially on the grade “lean” or (70/30), which means, a lot of dirty fat in your recipe if you don’t “clean” it.
Add the beef to another saucepan bring to a high temperature and cook thoroughly.
Use a spaghetti strainer and pour the cooked beef in it, drain the fat and set aside.
PS: This is what you would have eaten and soaked your veggies into:
Cooking Process
Cook the pasta
By now, the water should be boiling: throw your pasta in for about 5 to 8 minutes or until al dente.
Halfway, incorporate your broccoli florets into the boiling water.
Start the ragù
The pasta is about to be done and the meat is resting in the strainer.
In the same saucepan that you pre-cooked the beef, throw in:
- The garlic (sauté for about 1 minute)
- Add the beef
- Add spices blend cook for 2 to 3 minutes to release the flavours
Your pasta and broccoli should be ready! Throw in the strainer and KEEP 1/2 cup of the water.
- Back to your saucepan with the beef, add the demi-glace
- Add the cream
- Add the caramelized onions
Simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken.
Add the pasta with the broccoli and blend thoroughly until all the ingredients are fully coated in the sauce.
If the mix becomes too thick, simply add slowly the leftover pasta water.
Finish up and Plating
It’s time to plate!
In a medium plate or in this case, I used a spaghetti bowl, add the mix you’ve just so proudly created.
GoodFood instructions mention crushing the croutons and sprinkling them on top of the dish. Don’t do this! It will become a paste of wet dough. Not pleasant in the mouth.
Use the croutons as a whole. As simple as it is keep the tasty crunch from them!
Honest Review for the GoodFood Creamy Ground Beef & Caramelized Onion
Actual time to make: 20 minutes
PROS from the original recipe:
- Super easy to do
- You can swap any kind of meat you want
- You can make it vegetarian
- Quick to do when you are a busy parent
CONS:
- Only four (4) steps are shown in GoodFood instructions but need more
- Lack of technique in the instructions; need clarifications (which I did)
My final thoughts:
This is such a lifesaver when your kid is screaming at you that he is hungry. This was the second time I was cooking it and it’s a success every time.
Although GoodFood is skipping the step of skimming the fat from the beef, once you blend all the flavours together, you understand right away that your palate will be satisfied.
The texture is very pleasant; the broccoli should be crispy and the pasta al dente. The cream with the demi-glace and the spices blend finalize the silkiness of the sauce.
You can taste all the ingredients from the croutons on top to the small pieces of garlic
This is a dish I will keep cooking over and over.
Star Rating
How to get a free box
Did you like my review with tips and tricks to make it better? If you are interested in trying Chefs Plate Meal Kit Box, please use my link below and get a FREE FIRST BOX!
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Have you ever cooked it?
What are your thoughts? Any other tips and tricks to make it even better?
Let me know in the comments below!
Funny Fact
Did you know?
The Italian word “ragù” comes from the French word “ragoût” which means “to awaken or stimulate the appetite”. Italy essentially adopted the French term but changed the dish significantly. However, they are pronunced the same. Source: Tastingtable.com
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