Baked Ragu with Cippolini Onions

We love good italian food around here. And anytime I can come up with something that is filling and easy... I'm all for it. Pioneer Woman has a post this week that is similar... but I didn't do the whole photo tutorial like she does... I'm not that talented, nor do I have the space to do it justice, and I always leave out a step or a picture won't turn out. (I don't have a fancy camera either!)

Oh... DH talked to the landlord about our stove issue... The landlord said he didn't have the money to replace the stove... but offered to go halves with us if we wanted to buy a new one!!!! (Ummmm... he's the landlord, we shouldn't have to buy him a new appliance for his rental property!) So.... he's going to send someone to repair our stove. We shall see if he can get parts, since DH wasn't able to find them on the internet! (In case you can't tell... this really TICKS ME OFF!)

Okay... back to the recipe!

2 lbs. ground beef

1 T. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 large carrot, minced

1 large stalk of celery, minced

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

2 14 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes

1/2 C Parmesan Cheese (canned will do just fine.)

salt and pepper

1/2 lb of cippolini onions, peeled and trimmed

1 T. Olive Oil

Any pasta... I used whole wheat Penne Pasta cooked according to pkg.

In a dutch oven or medium stock pot... warm pan and add olive oil, saute onion, carrot and celery, (the holy trinity) until a little translucent, about 4 minutes...

Add ground beef and brown it... drain off most all of the drippings... add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Add all seasonings, canned tomatoes and cheese. Pour into a oven safe casserole if you are using something other than a dutch oven...

Heat olive oil and add onions to oil to coat them, slightly brown them for just 1 minute. Add to top of meat mixture... cover and place in hot oven for 45 minutes.

Cook pasta... and then drain well... Spoon hot ragu over pasta and additional parmesan cheese... serve onions on the side.

I served this with some sauteed zucchini and some asiago cheese bread with my favorite garlic cheese spread....

It makes enough to feed a small army of about 8... and you can always add additional cippolini onions to the ragu... they take about 40 minutes to be tender without being mushy... and they are sooo sweet.

Thanks for reading... I hope you enjoy this recipe! Be blessed!

~Suzanne