1-Step One: Prepare and Cook the Pasta Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. The salt should make the water taste like the ocean this is your only chance to season the pasta itself. Add your trottole pasta and cook according to the package instructions, typically 9-11 minutes until al dente. The trottole shape, with its playful corkscrew design, needs enough time to cook through but should still have a slight bite when you test it. Once cooked, drain the pasta but reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water. This liquid gold can help loosen your sauce later if needed. Keep the pasta warm by covering it or tossing with a tiny drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking.

2-Step Two: Brown the Beef While your pasta water heats up, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and let it shimmer you’ll know it’s ready when the oil moves freely across the pan surface. Add your pound of ground chuck beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula as it cooks. Sauté the beef for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains and the meat has developed a nice brown color. If your beef releases excess grease, you can drain some of it, but leave about a tablespoon in the pan that fat carries flavor and helps the vegetables cook evenly.

3-Step Three: Add Aromatics and Vegetables With the beef browned, reduce your heat to medium. Add the coarsely chopped onion and minced garlic to the pan, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Cook these aromatics for about 5 minutes until the onions become translucent and fragrant. The smell at this stage is absolutely intoxicating that’s the sign you’re building a great foundation. Next, add your sliced celery and carrots. If you’re using a spiralizer for the carrots, now is when those beautiful ribbons go in. The spiralized carrots not only look gorgeous but also cook more evenly and blend seamlessly into the sauce. Sauté this vegetable mixture for another 5 minutes until everything becomes tender-crisp. Then comes the spinach all 2 cups of those baby leaves go right into the pan. Don’t worry if it looks like a huge amount; spinach wilts down dramatically. Stir it through the mixture and watch it shrink within 2-3 minutes. This is also a great opportunity to add any leftover vegetables you might have lurking in your fridge. Zucchini, cauliflower, or green beans all work beautifully in this versatile dish. For more inspiration using vegetables in creative ways, check out this creamed cabbage ground beef casserole that also maximizes veggie goodness.

4-Step Four: Build the Sauce Now it’s time to transform this mixture into a rich Bolognese-style sauce. Pour in the entire 26-ounce jar of marinara sauce, stirring well to coat all the ingredients. Add your fresh parsley, basil (or dried basil if using), and oregano. These herbs are what make this sauce sing the combination of fresh and dried creates layers of flavor that develop at different rates during cooking. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let everything simmer gently. You want bubbles, but not a rolling boil. This low-and-slow approach allows the flavors to marry and the sauce to thicken to that perfect consistency. Give it at least 10-15 minutes of simmering time, though if you have the luxury of letting it go longer, even better. The extended cooking time concentrates flavors and makes the sauce taste like it simmered all afternoon.

5-Step Five: Season and Finish Taste your sauce before adding the final seasonings. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your preference. Remember that the cheeses will add saltiness too, so err on the side of restraint with the salt. Give the sauce a final stir and let it cook for another minute or two. Just before serving, scatter the small mozzarella balls throughout the hot sauce. They’ll begin to melt into glorious stretchy pockets. Remove the pan from heat and get ready to serve.

6-Step Six: Serve and Garnish Place your warm trottole pasta in serving bowls and ladle the sauce generously over top. The sauce-to-pasta ratio should feel abundant nobody wants dry pasta! Finish each serving with a generous sprinkling of shaved Parmesan cheese and a few extra basil leaves if you have them. Serve immediately while the cheese is still melty and the sauce is piping hot. This dish pairs wonderfully with a simple green salad and some crusty bread for soaking up every last bit of sauce.