ADVERTISEMENT
Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce
Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce
15 Reviews
From: EatingWell Magazine, November/December 2010
Instead of opening a jar of sauce, try this easy spaghetti with meat sauce on a weeknight. Serve with steamed broccoli and garlic bread. 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.
- By: EatingWell Test Kitchen
Ingredients 8 servings
for serving adjustment
Serving size has been adjusted!
Original recipe yields 8 servings
Nutrition per serving may change if servings are adjusted.
- 1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound lean (90% or leaner) ground beef
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
-
Active
-
Ready In
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
- 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 to 8 minutes.
- 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 to 5 minutes. Increase heat to high. Stir in tomatoes and cook until thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in parsley and salt.
- Serve the sauce over the pasta, sprinkled with cheese.
- Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Serving size: 1 cup pasta & generous ¾ cup sauce
- Per serving: 389 calories; 9 g fat(3 g sat); 9 g fiber; 54 g carbohydrates; 27 g protein; 55 mcg folate; 48 mg cholesterol; 8 g sugars; 0 g added sugars; 1,946 IU vitamin A; 14 mg vitamin C; 120 mg calcium; 5 mg iron; 484 mg sodium; 711 mg potassium
- Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (39% daily value), Iron (28% dv), Vitamin C (23% dv)
- Carbohydrate Servings: 3½
- Exchanges: 3 starch, 1½ vegetable, 2 lean meat
Reviews 15
August 03, 2018
By: Teri Thorne Lee
I made this last night. I didn't have parsley, onion or carrots but I added coarsely chopped bell peppers (all colors), onion powder, black pepper and mushrooms. I was very surprised at the consistency of it. I didn't drain the meat but I will next time. It was good but we refrigerated it to use tonight - I'm betting it will taste even better after sitting for 24 hours. Thank you!
April 02, 2018
By: sparker79
As with the first time making a recipe, I try to follow as close as possible. The only thing I did different was added a little black pepper to meat and drained the fat from the meat once cooked. This just didn’t have a very good flavor at all. My family loves spaghetti but they wouldn’t hardly eat this. I’m sad because the reviews were pretty good......but I won’t add this to my recipe box at all. Yuck!
July 06, 2017
By: Emily
Followed this recipe pretty much to a T.
Husband liked it. Toddler loved it. I liked how it even hid some veggies in there. I just needed a bigger skillet for the sauce as it was almost too much.
A tiny bit more time consuming than my typical spaghetti, meat and sauce, but worth it. The Italian seasoning was the main flavor.
February 17, 2016
By: EatingWell User
Great meal
We thought it was great, added red bell peppers to it and used ground chicken instead of beef. Definitely will be making it more often.
January 30, 2015
By: EatingWell User
My substitution of ingredients
I substituted some pork sausage for some of the ground beef. and a bell pepper for the carrots. Also added some of my spices and a little red pepper to jazz it up a little.
Will do this one again.
Pros: added flavor
Cons: spices needed
January 09, 2015
By: EatingWell User
DELICIOUS!
This meal is delicious! I made the sauce exactly as the recipe calls for except I used salt-free Mrs. Dash table blend instead of salt to cut back on sodium. I used Hunt's no salt added tomatoes. I picked the perfect wheat pasta - Healthy Harvest. It was quick and easy to make, perfect for a weeknight. And with a salad, perfect for company!
Pros: Healthier than a jar, health wheat pasta, easy to make
Cons: NULL
November 18, 2014
By: EatingWell User
Not for us
Ate a serving..husband ate one bite, refused more. Lots left over so I will turn it into chili.
Pros: Healthier than a jar
Cons: Not very good
July 25, 2013
By: EatingWell User
make it even more healthy!
Every time I use ground beef to cook I always cook it first and then drain the fat out of it (even though I buy 93% lean)! I did that with the recipe as well and it was just as good! I simmered it a little longer towards the end so the flavors had more time to mix! Yummy!
Pros: easy
January 05, 2013
By: EatingWell User
Delicious, Easy, and Extra Veggies!
I love this recipe! I've been using this one for a few months now and people keep telling me how good it is. I've put in onions instead of the celery if I don't have celery on hand and it works just as well. First of all the addition of the veggies is healthier, you eat a little more of them and a little less meat. Secondly, it makes it cheaper too because you can use less meat to feed more people!
It's very easy to make and very tasty... if you simmer it for longer the taste becomes a bit richer. Or if you're in a hurry or you like a lighter flavored sauce, you can just stop when the recipe says. You can add in anything you like, obviously, but this is a really good basic recipe! Highly recommended!
Pros: easy, cheap and healthy
Cons: None really
