Pappadelle with Pork, Beef and Beets

YES, with beets! And it's pretty awesome!

Ingredients:
2 tbsps olive oil
3/4 lb inside round steak, cut in strips
1 cooked pork chop, cut in chunks
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 mushrooms, sliced
1 cup cooked or canned beets, sliced
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tsps dry onion soup mix
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
8.5 oz (250 g) pappadelle egg noodles
1 cup reserved pasta water

First off I have to explain the meat... I had one cooked pork chop leftover in the fridge. And I had a small piece of round steak too. They worked really well together and both were tender in this dish. You could just use steak or just use the pork doubling the amounts but it was interesting to use both.

In a large skillet brown the steak in olive oil then remove to a plate.

Add the onions and mushrooms to the same skillet and cook 3-4 minutes. Then add the garlic and carrots cooking 1 minute before adding the balsamic vinegar.

Put the rest of the ingredients (beets, tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water, onion soup mix, celery seed, thyme, bay leaf and pork) and return the beef to the pan.

Cover and simmer on low for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Then cook the pappadelle and 2 minutes before the suggested cooking time remove 1 cup pasta water and drain the pappadelle. Add the pasta water and the drained pappadelle to the skillet and stir together. Simmer 2-3 minutes longer.

The beets lend a rustic taste to the dish...

and give the noodles a pretty pink tint.

Serves 4