Recipe Friday: Veggie Packed Spaghetti Sauce





"Spaghetti can be eaten most successfully if you inhale it like a vacuum cleaner." Sophia Loren



Sophia Loren: "Everything you see, I owe to Spaghetti."

 Spaghetti is a kid friendly food that's fun to eat.  What kid wouldn't want to inhale his dinner like a vacuum cleaner?

My kids are picky eaters and they hate vegetables, so I make spaghetti with meat sauce once a week to ensure that some green foods secretly invade their bodies.  Any visible flecks of green render pasta sauce inedible, according to my kids.  So to combat this reaction,  I employ a brigade of vegetables, pureed to a pulp, that become camouflaged under the blood red sauce.  Then while the boys enjoy slurping up their spaghetti, they have no idea they're eating something that's actually healthy!

At one time I used sauce from a jar, but making it from scratch is pretty easy.  Plus, it doesn't contain anything bad, like high fructose corn syrup.

I'm sharing this recipe (one I've concocted on my own) in the quantity that I make, which is rather plentiful. But you can freeze what's left, or use it to prepare another pasta entree, like lasagna.

Hope you and your kids enjoy this!

Veggie Packed Spaghetti Sauce

1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 t salt, plus 1 t salt divided
1/2 t pepper, plus 1 t pepper divided
1 t Italian seasoning
1 t garlic powder, plus 2  garlic powder divided
1 t onion powder
1/3 cup flour
1 T dried basil
1T sugar
4 14 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
2 14 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 7 oz. can tomato paste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup red wine

Heat olive oil in a large pot.  Microwave onion, carrots, green pepper and zucchini on high for 10 minutes,  then process in food processor to make a puree.

Brown meat with vegetable puree.  Season with 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, 1 t garlic powder, Italian seasoning and onion powder.

In a samll bowl, combine flour, sugar, basil, and remaining salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Set aside.  Once meat is browned, stir in flour mixture until well combined, and then add tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Parmesan cheese and red wine.  Bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 35 minutes. Makes 12 servings.

What's your favorite pasta? Tweet me @: maria_mckenzie.  Have a great weekend!