Nutrition-Packed Spaghetti Sauce Is Loaded With Flavor

“Since I’m married to an Italian who is a health-food enthusiast, I wanted to develop a spaghetti sauce that would not only appeal to his taste but also be full of vitamins,” Sherry M. Cavallo writes. “I combined several recipes from friends with my own ideas and a recipe from one of my health-food cookbooks, as my husband calls them. The sauce combines nourishment and great taste, so I feel good about serving it to my family.”

SHERRY’S SPAGHETTI SAUCE

2 pounds ground meat (half ground turkey and half ground beef)

2 large onions, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 medium carrots, grated

1 medium zucchini, grated

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed

3 (28-ounce) cans tomato puree or tomato sauce

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

3 tablespoons tamari

1/4 cup wine vinegar

2 teaspoons paprika

3 bay leaves

3 tablespoons molasses

1/4 cup Burgundy

Salt, pepper

Whole-wheat or spinach spaghetti, cooked and drained

Crumble and brown meat in large kettle with onions. Drain meat mixture from skillet and reserve. Saute peppers, garlic, celery, carrots and zucchini, adding oil if necessary to drippings.

Return meat and onions to pot. Stir in parsley, tomatoes, tomato puree, basil, oregano, tamari, vinegar, paprika, bay leaves, molasses, Burgundy and 2 to 3 cups water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and simmer 2 to 3 hours, until cooked to desired consistency. Serve over spaghetti. Makes about 6 quarts sauce.

SHERRY M. CAVALLO, Altadena