Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add rigatoni to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (1½ cups for 4 servings), then drain.

Meanwhile, wash and dry produce.

Halve, peel, and finely dice shallot. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Trim and grate zucchini on the largest holes of a box grater.

Place zucchini in center of a clean kitchen towel. Gather in a tight bundle; squeeze over the sink to remove as much liquid as possible. (Alternately, place zucchini in a fine-mesh strainer and press down with a spatula.)

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add beef*, shallot, Italian Seasoning, a big pinch of salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and mostly cooked through, 3-5 minutes (it’ll finish cooking in the next step).

Add tomato paste to pan. Cook, stirring, until tomato paste is well combined and beef is cooked through, 1-2 minutes. Stir in garlic, zucchini, and a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until zucchini is tender, 2-3 minutes.

Stir in cream cheese, stock concentrate, ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water (ladle from pot if pasta is still cooking), and ½ tsp sugar (⅔ cup pasta cooking water and 1 tsp sugar for 4). Simmer until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in cream cheese, stock concentrate, ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water (ladle straight from the pot if pasta isn’t finished cooking yet), and ½ tsp sugar (for 4, use ⅔ cup pasta cooking water and 1 tsp sugar). Simmer until sauce has slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. TIP: If you’ve got some on hand, add a pinch of chili flakes for a spicy kick.

Reduce heat to medium low. Stir drained rigatoni, half the Parmesan, and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) into pan with sauce until combined. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.

Divide pasta between plates or bowls. Top with remaining Parmesan and serve.