Sometimes healthy eating = bland food. Not in my house, dadgum it! Like is too short to eat stuff that gives you a sad.
One of our favorite healthy meals is whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce. In the winter I load the sauce with hot spices and garlic to ward of the flu-debil; gotta keep us upright and fever-free.
New cooks can be intimidated making a homemade meat sauce, opting for the jarred variety, but I’m here to tell you it’s easy, my babies.
NO MORE JARRED SAUCE!
Check it:
Start by chopping an onion and mincing some garlic:
Put a little oil in a pot over a medium flame and throw in a chub of lean meat (one pound). I typically use turkey, but use whatever you love.
Open some tomatoes while the meat is browning:
Brown the meat:
Thoroughly. You don’t not want to see any pink when it’s done:
Next, add the onions and saute lightly by stirring over a medium flame:
Lightly = the onions are still a bit crunchy, but not fully translucent:
Next up: garlic. Stir until lightly browned, being careful not to burn:
Once the onions and garlic are cooked through, dump in the spicy tomatoes and stir until mixed:
Lastly, add the rest of your tomatoes, followed by spices/seasonings. Combine well, reduce heat and simmer on low for 10 minutes:
Can you smell it? Oh, man.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound of lean ground meat
- 1 large chopped onion
- 3-5 cloves minced garlic
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 2 15 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp sugar (1)
- Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste.(2)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in pot.
- Add meat and cook until there is no more visible pink.
- Add chopped onion into meat mixture, stirring until semi-translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more, being careful not to burn. If heat is too high, turn to low.
- Once onions and garlic are cooked, add crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes with green chilies.
- Stir well and reduce heat.
- Add tbsp of sugar.
- Stir to combine and let simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.
- Add seasonings.
- Ready to eat!
Notes
For New Cooks
(1) The sugar is used to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Do not omit. (2) I typically use 2 tsp. of Kosher salt, 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper and whatever other spices jumps out at me from the rack. Mix it up and try new thangs. DO IT!
See? So easy.
You can use this sauce with pasta, on pizza (faint), with rice, or just be a barbarian and eat it straight from the pot with a wooden spoon. Not that I’ve ever done that. Fine, I’ve totally done that, just don’t tell The German.
Now get to whizzin’ in the kitchen!
Homemade meat sauce: it’s what’s for dinner!