Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Spaghetti with meat sauce is a real soul-satisfying classic for anyone who loves pasta. This is a basic recipe, easy, quick and versatile too, because you can use any variety of ground meat you choose - just be sure to drain it well if using one of the fattier types. Serve with a salad or simple green vegetable like oven-roasted zucchini.

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Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground meat (beef, pork, turkey or chicken)
10 ounces thin spaghetti
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 to 5 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups diced tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiana-Reggiano for grating

Preparation:
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and sauté, breaking up any clumps with a spatula, until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté until soft, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, 2 minutes more. Add the oregano and tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the meat to the pan and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta and drain. To serve, plate a portion of pasta, top with the meat sauce and grated cheese.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe Notes:
Garlic bread also makes a nice, albeit carb-heavy, addition to this meal.

This is an original recipe created & tested by the editors of MyGourmetConnection