Cooking Light with Rachael Ray: Rigatoni with Grilled Beef & Gravy

I probably shouldn't have, but I made a dish with the word "gravy" in it while my husband was out of town. Knowing him, he's not going to be happy when he reads this one! But before he goes and gets all depressed about it, he needs to know that I loved this dish so much, I would have no problem makin' it all over again when he gets home. Now that's love for ya!

To adjust Rachael Ray's Rigatoni with Grilled Beef & Gravy to meet the lean standard, I cut the EVOO, steak and pasta portions by about half. To make up for it, I "beefed-up" the veggies and added some squash too. Overall, it was wonderful! It's a healthy dish with vibrant colors, flavor and aroma. Take a look!

RIGATONI with GRILLED BEEF & GRAVY
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lean flatiron steak
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Olive Oil Cooking Spray
• 1/2 pound Whole Wheat Rigatoni
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 1 cup carrot chips (or 2 small carrots), finely chopped
• 2 medium yellow squash, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 smalls sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1-1/2 cups Low-Sodium/Fat Free beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 4 teaspoons grated Parmesan (garnish)
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

Season the steaks with a little salt and plenty of pepper. Pre-heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle over high heat. Spray skilled with olive oil cooking spray and cook, turning once, for 8-10 minutes for pink centers. Let the meat rest until cool enough to handle, then slice very thinly on a diagonal.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon EVOO over medium-high heat (spray with addition EVOO cooking spray; if needed). Add the onion, celery, carrot, squash and garlic; season with the rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are softened, 5-6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute. Stir in the beef stock, wine and Worcestershire sauce; lower the heat and simmer.

Add the sliced meat to the gravy, then add the pasta. Serve in shallow bowls and top with a teaspoon of cheese and some parsley.

 
RESULTS

I just loved it! Dishes like this show it doesn't have to take long to create an impressive dish. In fact, I was able to cut quite a few corners putting this together. For the steak, I used a flatiron that I had grilled the night before. This was a great way to repurpose that leftover; just slice it up and toss it in. For the carrots, since I already had some snacking carrot chips on hand, I chopped those up instead of having to go to the trouble of peeling. It's no a huge deal, but when you are busy, busy (like most of us are) every little minute counts. Not having to grill the steak or peel the carrots probably saved me about 15 minutes. No bad!

Now let's get to the facts; the nutrition facts. What did we save with this one? Let's take a look.

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 376.5 calories;  8.03g fat;  55.36g carbohydrate;  22.11g protein;  9.1g fiber

BEFORE: 818.75 calories;  21.15g fat;  103.52g carbohydrate;  45.62g protein;  6.83g fiber

SAVES: 442.25 calories;  13.12g fat;  48.16g carbohydrate

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