One of the proteins my family and I cook with often is ground veal. Ground Veal Recipes are quick and easy to make, they taste great and it’s food I feel good about feeding my family. One dish we really enjoy is Orecchiette Pasta with Ground Veal and Spinach. I am proud to be sponsored by Veal, Discover Delicious, funded by Beef Farmers and Ranchers for today’s recipe.
Besides the great flavor of this dish, one of the things I love about this recipe is that you can choose how much (or little) pasta you want to add to this meal. You can make it meat-heavy, pasta-heavy to stretch it or an equal ratio of pasta and meat.
Using ground veal for this is a great idea because it cooks quickly and the ground veal easily picks up the flavors of the white wine and seasoning. Check out my 1-minute TikTok Video or Instagram Reel to see how it’s made.
You can use any sort of pasta you enjoy, however these little pasta “ears” have a great texture plus they really hold the sauce you create well.
A 3oz serving of ground veal is 170 calories and 27 grams of protein making it a great choice for the base of a family dinner. Lean veal is a good source of key nutrients including vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, niacin, riboflavin, zinc, selenium and choline.
More information on veal nutrition.
If you are looking for an easy meal using ground veal or orecchiette pasta, this is it!
It’s easily customized to your tastes as well.
Many people don’t think of using ground veal in dishes because they assume it’s expensive. Did you know, depending on where you shop, you can pick up a pound of ground veal for anywhere from .50 cents less than a pound of ground beef to about $2.00 more. It just depends on the type and brand of beef you are comparing it to and of course where you shop.
Ingredients
- Orecchiette pasta or your favorite pasta
- Avocado or olive oil
- Vidalia onion & fresh garlic
- S&P, paprika, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning or oregano, fennel (if you have it)
- Ground veal
- Beef stock
- Pasta water
- Dry white wine
- Fresh baby spinach
- Freshly grated Parmesan
Variations
- Add a full box of orecchiette to this recipe or just half a box. It will work either way. Just depends on how much pasta you want.
- Swap orecchiette for any sort of pasta you like.
- Swap spinach for swiss chard, beet tops, broccoli rabe or peas. Both will work in this dish. The beet tops will take a few more minutes to fully cook through, so place the lid back on after adding and simmer on low.
- If you don’t want to use white wine, feel free to swap it for vegetable or beef stock. Just add in a nice squeeze of lemon for some acidity as well.
Ground Veal Recipes You’ll Love
- Veal Bolognese – This amazing sauce was made for pasta noodles! Full of flavor, veggies and topped with cheese. It’s a home run!
- Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers – Grilled or oven baked. Topped with melted cheese or not. These ground veal stuffed peppers are a favorite of my family. Hopefully they will be with yours as well.
- Grilled Pizza – So many delicious options when grilling or baking a pizza! Ground veal is a delicious addition.
- Ground Veal & Green Bean Stir Fry – Quick, easy and flavorful.
- Enchiladas – This family favorite recipe is like a burrito and an enchilada had a baby, these are delicious!
- Mediterranean Burger – Made with ground veal and chock full of Mediterranean flavors. Change up your burger night!
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently to enjoy again.
I hope you give this orecchiette recipe a try! Let me know what you think of this or any of the ground veal recipes shown here. For all sorts of information about modern day veal farming, veal nutrition and veal recipes, visit Veal Discover Delicious. XO – Colleen
Orecchiette Pasta Spinach & Veal Recipe
Orecchiette Pasta Spinach & Veal Recipe is a delciious pasta food recipe that pure comfort! Ground veal recipes are quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Orecchiette pasta or your favorite pasta
- 1 TBS avocado or olive oil
- 1 heaping cup chopped Vidalia onion
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes more if you like it spicy
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 pound ground veal
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or oregano
- Three fingered pinch fennel optional but great if you have it
- ½ cup beef stock
- ¼ cup pasta water if you forget, just add in additional wine or stock if you think you need it
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach about 2 compacted cups
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Parmesan Reggiano
Instructions
After getting your mise en place arranged (all of your ingredients at the ready).
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil (salt it well, you want it to taste like the ocean).
Get your pasta in the water.
In a large sauté pan, heat your oil. Once hot, add in the onions. Sauté for a couple of minutes and then add in the garlic and red pepper flakes.
Season with S&P and sauté for a couple of minutes, moving things around.
Add in the ground veal, breaking it up and incorporating the onion mixture into it. Season with some additional S&P.
Add paprika, Italian seasoning and fennel. Stir to incorporate.
Add in your pasta water, beef broth and white wine.
Stirring to incorporate. Place a lid on as it continues to simmer, stirring occasionally.
Remove lid, check for doneness.
Tuck in spinach and stir until wilted.
Pour the veal mixture into the pot of your strained orecchiette.
Sprinkle in the cheese, stir.
Taste and adjust for seasoning and flavor. Feel free to add in additional red pepper flakes for additional heat or any additional seasonings to adjust flavor.
Garnish with additional red pepper flakes, cheese and parsley if desired and enjoy.
Notes
Add in as much cheese as you enjoy.
You can also choose to only add ½ pound pasta if you want this more meat and spinach laden.
Nutrition
Serving: 4servingsCalories: 761kcalCarbohydrates: 91gProtein: 47gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 578mgPotassium: 851mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1678IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 370mgIron: 3mg
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