A slow-simmered beef and tomato sauce over quickly sautéed zucchini noodles. Kids can have theirs over gluten-free pasta or rice.
Ingredients
- 900 g ground beef
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 30 g olive oil
- 30 g tomato paste
- 800 g canned crushed tomatoes
- 4 g dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 g sea salt
- 6 medium zucchini (about 1.2 kg), spiralized or peeled into ribbons
Click an ingredient once it's in the bowl.
Method
- Cook the onion, carrot, and celery in the oil over medium heat 8-10 minutes until soft and sweet — this quiet start is most of the sauce's flavor.
- Raise the heat, add the beef, and brown it well. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes; toasting the paste deepens the whole pot.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves, and salt. Simmer low and uncovered 25-30 minutes (longer is better), until thick.
- Salt the zucchini noodles and let them sit 10 minutes, then pat dry — zucchini is mostly water and this keeps the plate from flooding.
- Sauté the noodles in a hot, lightly oiled pan for 2 minutes only — just heated through, still al dente — and top with the sauce.
Notes
- Kids: same sauce over gluten-free pasta or white rice.
- The sauce freezes beautifully; double it and bank a dinner.