SPAGHETTI!

I don't normally like chunky spaghetti sauces.  Pre-paleo I usually bought Ragu or something like that and even since going paleo, I've made blended sauces.  So, I was a little skeptical of this Paleo Marinara Sauce w/Beef recipe that I found on Spark Recipes.  But... it turned out to be DA BOMB!  I baked a spaghetti squash to have with it and it totally hit the spot!

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 medium Onion, chopped

5 cloves of Garlic, diced

1 Yellow Pepper, diced (I had half of a large green bell pepper that I used instead)

1 cup Mushrooms, sliced (I left these out)

1 cup Baby Carrots, diced

2 tsp Dried Oregano

2 tsp Dried Basil (I was out, so I put a few shakes of Italian Seasoning in there)

2 tsp Dried Thyme (I'm not a huge fan of thyme, so I only used about 1 tsp)

2 Dried Bay Leaves (I left these out too)

Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

1 can Diced Tomatoes, drained (I didn't drain mine because I wanted more juice)

1 can Crushed Tomatoes

1 pound lean Ground Beef, drained (I used grass-fed)

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot and add onions and garlic.  Cook until softened, then add bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaves and ground pepper. Cook until veggiess are tender.  Add both cans of tomatoes and cook until boiling, then reduce heat to simmer and begin cooking the beef.  Once the beef is finished cooking, drain the grease off and add to the sauce.  Simmer on low for 30-45 minutes and then enjoy!

**NOTE: I typically cook my squash ahead of time.  While it's hot I toss it in butter and little garlic powder.  When we are ready to eat, I saute some of the squash in butter and add more garlic powder.  This softens the squash a little more and heats it up.  I heat the sauce separately and then serve them together on a plate!