Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce
Instead of opening a jar of sauce, try this easy spaghetti with meat sauce on a weeknight. Serve with steamed broccoli, garlic bread, and roasted pears for dessert. 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 whole wheat spaghetti
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound lean ground beef (90% or leaner)
- 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- 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.
- 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.
EatingWell Magazine