Spaghetti is a convenient food that we eat occasionally, usually with zucchini noodles, black bean noodles or bean threads since some members of my family don't do well with the typical grain-based pastas. I generally don't make my own spaghetti sauce from-scratch, but I do love to increase the nutrition value of storebought sauces by adding lots of veggies and grassfed beef. This recipe makes a large batch of spaghetti sauce, and it freezes well for easy future meals.
Spaghetti Sauce Loaded with Veggies and Beef
Serves 12-14
2 Tb butter, preferably the nutrient-dense yellow kind
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 pound of brown mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1&1/2 pounds ground beef, preferably grassfed
2 tsp celtic sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Two 26-ounce jars of pasta sauce (I use Field Day Organic Tomato Basil or Italian Herb Pasta Sauce)
Chop the onion, celery, and carrots.
Melt the butter in a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat.
Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrot. Sprinkle with salt and saute for 5-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms and bell pepper.
Add the mushrooms and bell pepper to the pot. Saute for another 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and cooked down a bit.
Crumble the ground beef into the pot and stir it into the veggies. Add 1&1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef is mostly browned. The beef does not need to be completely cooked during this step.
Pour the pasta sauce over the veggies and beef. Stir to combine, then put a lid on the pot and let it simmer for 15-25 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper as desired. Stir occasionally.
In the meantime, prepare your pasta according to the package instructions. I generally serve this sauce over zucchini noodles, black bean noodles or bean threads.
Serve the sauce over pasta. This sauce is also yummy when served over quinoa or rice. We like to top our spaghetti with plenty of shredded cheddar cheese.
Leftover sauce can be frozen in single servings. For my family-of-four, 2-cup glass Pyrex storage dishes work well to freeze enough sauce for one meal.
This post is part of Weekend Potluck!
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