Photo Courtesy of: EatingWell.com / http://bit.ly/1uxlrrY

Almost everything is better from scratch – and making your own foods with fresh ingredients is a much healthier alternative than consuming pre-packaged, pre-cooked foods. So instead of opening a jar of sauce, try this easy recipe for spaghetti with meat sauce and extra vegetables. Serve with steamed broccoli or a green salad, garlic bread, and roasted pears for dessert. The recipe makes enough for 8 servings. If you’re serving only four for dinner, cook 8 ounces of spaghetti and freeze the leftover sauce.

Ingredients (makes 8 servings):

• 1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 pound lean (90% or leaner) ground beef
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is beginning to brown, 5-8 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef and cook, stirring and breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3-5 minutes. Increase heat to high. Stir in tomatoes and cook until thickened, 4-6 minutes. Stir in parsley and salt.
4. Serve the sauce over the pasta, sprinkled with cheese.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving 389 calories; 9g fat (3g saturated, 3g monounsaturated); 48mg cholesterol; 53g carbohydrate; 0g added sugars; 28g protein; 9g fiber; 416mg sodium; 709mg potassium

Recipe adapted from EatingWell.com – http://bit.ly/1uxlrrY