Healthy whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce

Healthy whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce

Everyone has a recipe they make in a pinch out of what's in the cupboard. Mine is spaghetti and meat sauce, since we always have ground venison in the freezer and healthy, whole wheat pasta and canned tomato sauce on hand.

It took awhile to get the family used to whole wheat noodles. (Our two favorite brands are Barilla and Pasta Garofalo.) But now I rarely hear a complaint, especially when I make venison meat sauce from scratch. As my 10-year-old son, Nathan likes to say, "Mom, my compliments to the chef!"

Healthy meat sauce

This recipe is loosely based on the homemade sauce my husband made for me on our first date.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium to medium high heat.

Add minced garlic and cook for a minute.

Add ground meat and cook until meat has browned. Break up any large pieces with a spoon as it cooks.

Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, wine, basil, and oregano. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer while you cook the pasta and set the table.

Variations:

This Mama's tips

The sauce tastes better the longer you simmer it. It also tastes better the next day.