Healthy Meat Sauce and Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Healthy recipe with a secret everyday ingredient. Ideal for cold evenings and hungry stomachs. This recipe can be easily halved or doubled, and the sauce freezes well.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- Whole wheat spaghetti
- 900 g lean ground beef
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 230 g tomato paste
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1 whole garlic minced
- 1 bunch fresh basil roughly chopped
- 1 bunch parsley chopped (reserve some for garnish)
- 1 tbsp oregano chopped
- 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti according to its instructions, adding some salt to the water. Drain and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat 3 tbsp of oil. Add ground beef, breaking it up to prevent clumps. When it is no longer pink, remove from the pot, set aside and drain the grease, leaving 2 tbsp in the pot.
- Caramelize onions in the leftover grease and add peppers. Cook until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir well and turn up heat till sauce just starts to boil and return heat to medium high.
- Add basil, parsley, oregano, peanut butter, sugar and salt/pepper to taste. Continue to stir for 1 minute.
- Add ground beef and bay leaves. Cook for 2 minutes, allowing flavours to meld together. Add chopped parsley and cook for another minute. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve over spaghetti. Top with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan (not shown).
Notes
For something spicy, add 2 tsp cayenne pepper in Step 5.
Peanut butter adds a very subtle, mysterious and unexpected taste. Very unique!
(adapted from The Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti Sauce)