This Italian-inspired ragu spaghetti sauce is a wonderful meat sauce perfect for your pasta night. Packed with hidden veggies it's a nutritious dish worthy of any family meal.
Add onion, carrots, and celery, cook for about 5-8 minutes until soft.
Add in garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add in the ground beef and cook until the pink is all gone and the meat is brown. Break it up into smaller pieces as you go. About 10 minutes. Drain grease and return to heat.
Stir in italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Add in the tomatoes and parsley and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes, preferrably longer (up to an hour) for deeper flavor.
Serve with cooked pasta and top with parmesan cheese.
Notes
Substitutions: Replace crushed tomatoes with diced or fresh tomatoes (about 3 cups). For fresh tomatoes, add a pinch of sugar and cook longer to mellow the flavor.
Recipe Scaling: Adjust the batch size by halving or doubling it in a larger pot.
Simmering: Allow the sauce to simmer for at least 15 minutes to develop flavors, and longer simmering enhances taste. Leftovers taste even better the next day. Simmer uncovered for up to an hour if possible.
Storage: Refrigerate leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze it for 3 months. Thaw and warm on the stovetop or in the fridge before reheating.