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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Quick Meat Sauce with Spaghetti


Instead of opening a jar of sauce, try this easy meat sauce with spaghetti on a week night. Serve with steamed broccoli and garlic bread. The recipe makes enough for 8 servings. If you’re serving only four for dinner, cook 8 ounces of spaghetti and freeze the leftover sauce.


Ingredients:

·         1 pound lean ground beef
·         1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
·         2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
·         1 large onion, finely chopped
·         1 large carrot, finely chopped
·         1 stalk celery, finely chopped
·         4 cloves garlic, minced
·         1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
·         1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
·         1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
·         1/4 teaspoon salt
·         1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1.       Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.

2.       Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is beginning to brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

3.       Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef and cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase heat to high. Stir in tomatoes and cook until thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in parsley and salt.

Serve the sauce over the pasta, sprinkled with cheese.

Happy Cooking