Good For You Summer Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

When you think of summer food, you probably don’t think of spaghetti with meat sauce, do you? It’s thought to be heavy and, of course, comforting — not your typical hot-weather fare.

The thing about this dish is that so many of the ingredients are at their prime during these beautiful months. Tomatoes, carrots, peppers, zucchini … you can essentially pick up all of the ingredients at a farmer’s market. It doesn’t get any more summery than that.

Start up the sauce in the late afternoon and let it simmer while you spend some time outside. Enjoy the meal al fresco with some tossed greens, Italian bread, and a glass of red wine. Perfezione!

Good For You Summer Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:
½ kg extra lean ground beef (just over one pound)
2 carrots, peeled
2 stalks celery
2 orange, yellow, or red bell peppers
1 medium zucchini (green or yellow)
1 medium yellow onion
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 large white mushrooms, halved and thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes
1 can (540ml/19oz) diced tomatoes (with liquid)
1 can (156ml/5.5oz) tomato paste
1 cup strained tomatoes (substitute with plain tomato sauce if needed)
½ cup red wine (¼ cup for the pasta, ¼ cup for you)
1 tablespoon vinegar (white, white wine, or red wine)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili flakes (optional)
4 servings spaghetti
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve

Instructions:
1. In a large pan, cook ground beef over medium heat. When it’s cooked through and browned, drain any excess oil and set aside.

2. Dice the carrots, celery, peppers, zucchini, and onion. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, and add the diced vegetables, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.

3. Add the beef, cherry tomatoes, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and strained tomatoes. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often.

4. Add the red wine, vinegar, cayenne, the other tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for at least 30 minutes (up to 3 hours).

5. Cook pasta according to package directions. Spoon sauce over pasta, top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.