I LOVE Spaghetti with Meat Sauce. I think it’s because it was one of our staple weeknight meals. It is just the ultimate comfort food to me. It was really exciting when I figured out how to make it clean. It is now one of my girls favorite weeknight meals. The funny thing is, I use zoodles, spaghetti squash or brown rice pasta as noodles. I try to stick to the first two since they are much better for you but sometimes, you just need a noodle.
The recipes is enough for one box of noodles or more. It makes a lot. That’s one thing I love about it. It’s a meal that keeps on giving. I can pack it in my kids lunches the next day or freeze half the sauce for a day when I don’t feel like cooking.
What’s even better is it’s a one to two pot meal. One for the sauce and one for the noodles. So clean-up is easy-peasy.
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (with-the-mother)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
12 ounces ground meat (organic turkey or beef)
1 (14.5 – ounce) can organic diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 – ounce) can organic tomato sauce
2-4 cups Water or Bone Broth
For the “Spaghetti” – You have Options….
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Use Quinoa Pasta – This has more protein
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Use Brown Rice Pasta – It actually tastes great & I don’t even notice the difference.
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Use Zucchini Noodles – This is your best bet!! I have a spiralizer (Here’s the one I love), you can just use them fresh or roast them with a little bit of olive oil.
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If you are using pasta, place a large pot of water on the stove to boil & add salt. You don’t want it overly salty but you do want a bit because this is the only flavor you are adding to the pasta itself. Like I said before, I recommend using zucchini noodles or a mixture of both.
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To chop the carrots & onion, I just put them in a mini food processor. If you don’t have one, you can just chop them by hand BUT this will save you a bunch of time
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Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion & carrots & sauté for 8 minutes
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Add the garlic & tomato paste & sauté for 1 minute. (Pro Tip: I will save the leftover tomato paste in 1-2 Tablespoon portions in the freezer. That way you don’t waste any and always have the right amount on hand. I find this is the typical amount used in any recipe)
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Add vinegar & cook for 30 seconds
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Add the oregano, salt, pepper & meat. Cook until the meat is well browned. Make sure to break up the meat so it’s turns into little pieces instead of big chunks. It makes for a better meat sauce
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Stir in tomatoes, sauce AND water/bone broth. You are going to have to figure out how much you want/need to add. I like a thicker sauce so add less depending on how thick you would like the sauce. You really don’t have to add any at all if you don’t want to.
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Bring to a boil & reduce the heat down to low. Let the sauce simmer for 10-30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
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While the sauce is simmering, cook your pasta if you are using it.
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Once your pasta is done. Enjoy!!