These two recipes came to us from a family that visited the farm one afternoon after hay season. They travel all over the world, and they shared these with us before they left. We loved them so much we started making them ourselves, and now they live here on the site. Both are built around Rural Valley Farms grass-fed ground beef and farm vegetables.
Where these came from: You can read the full story of the family who shared these recipes in our People We Meet Along the Way post. It is the first in a series about the remarkable people we have met through the farm.
Farmhouse Pasta Sauce With Grass-Fed Ground Beef
Simple, built around whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand, and significantly better than anything you get from a jar alone. The Rural Valley Farms grass-fed ground beef is what carries it. We have made this more times than we can count since that afternoon.
Farmhouse Pasta Sauce with Rural Valley Farms Ground Beef
- 1 lb Rural Valley Farms ground beef
- 1 jar pasta sauce
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 shallot, diced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- Handful Italian parsley, minced
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 6 sun-dried tomatoes, minced
- 6 black olives, minced
- 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
- Pinch of Celtic sea salt
- Parmesan cheese to garnish
- Melt the butter or olive oil in a sauce pan and add the diced onion. Cook on medium heat until the onions become slightly tender.
- Add all the other fresh vegetables and herbs: garlic, shallot, green onions, Italian parsley, and sliced zucchini.
- Add the Rural Valley Farms ground beef and cook until browned through.
- Add the jar of pasta sauce and stir everything together.
- Add the minced sun-dried tomatoes and black olives.
- Cook on medium until the zucchini softens. Season with a pinch of Celtic sea salt.
- Garnish generously with Parmesan and serve over your pasta of choice.
A note on the ground beef: Grass-fed ground beef is leaner than conventional ground beef, so it browns faster and can dry out if you overcook it. Keep the heat at medium and stop as soon as it is browned through. The butter or olive oil at the start of the recipe helps compensate for the lower fat content. Our full grass-fed beef cooking guide covers this across every cut.
Want Ground Beef Like This in Your Freezer?
Half and whole cow shares from Rural Valley Farms. $6/lb hanging weight. Washington County PA.
Garlic Green Beans in Beef Bacon Fat
The side dish that went with it. Three ingredients, one pan, and the beef bacon fat makes all the difference. If you do not have beef bacon fat saved, butter or olive oil work fine, but the fat is what takes this from good to genuinely memorable.
Garlic Green Beans Cooked in Beef Bacon Fat
- Rural Valley Farms green beans
- Rural Valley Farms garlic, minced
- Beef bacon fat, butter, or olive oil
- Cut the ends off the green beans and cut them into one inch pieces.
- Heat the beef bacon fat, butter, or olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Saute the green beans with the minced garlic until the beans are tender and the garlic is crispy.
Save your fat: Rendered beef fat from bacon, roasts, or trimmings is one of the most underrated things you get with a bulk beef order. Keep a jar in the fridge and use it for vegetables, potatoes, and searing. It costs nothing extra and adds flavor you cannot buy. Ask about tallow and rendered fat when you place your bulk beef order in western Pennsylvania.
Cook These With Real Grass-Fed Beef
Half and whole cow shares, farm vegetables, and more from Rural Valley Farms. Call to check availability and start your order.
(724) 809-7802 Monday through Saturday, 8am to 6pm Eastern Call Rural Valley Farms