Spaghetti with Tomato-Meat Sauce

By McCarleyRHLAC

We all need comfort food from time to time and this meat sauce does the trick. It's wonderful spooned over pasta, baked potatoes, couscous or barley.

Total WWpts per serving:: 6

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 large uncooked onion(s), chopped
• 1 medium uncooked carrot(s), finely chopped
• 3 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
• 1 pound(s) uncooked 93% lean ground beef
• 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes, in tomato puree
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 3 cup(s) cooked whole-wheat spaghetti, kept hot

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes.


Add ground beef to skillet. Cook, breaking up clumps with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes.


Stir in tomatoes and tomato puree, salt, red pepper flakes and basil; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes for flavors to blend and for sauce to thicken slightly; spoon sauce over spaghetti. Yields about 1/2 cup of spaghetti and 2/3 cup of sauce per serving.
Notes
Refrigerate extra sauce for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

Add a delicious Parmesan-infused crumb topping to spaghetti recipes: Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small nonstick skillet. Add 1/3 cup of coarse whole-wheat bread crumbs. Cook on high heat for 1 minute, shaking skillet constantly, until crumbs are aromatic and slightly browned. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese and shake well to coat. Remove from heat and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of crumbs over each dish just before serving. (Could affect PointsPlus values.)