Quick and Easy, Healthy Marinara Sauce

When we say spaghetti at our house, we mean meat sauce. That's what spaghetti meant to my family when I was growing up and that's what it means when my kids ask for spaghetti. My mom was a pretty good cook, but there were a few dishes she really made well. One of them was meat sauce. She simmered it all afternoon and made enough to freeze so that we could have it again. I've tinkered around with her original method over the years, but it's still pretty close to what she made and what her mother made.

All that being said, over the years I've added different sauces to my cooking rotation (here's one). Lately, I've been making a super healthy marinara sauce. I got my inspiration from Giada on the Food Network, but have tweaked it just a little but, like I almost always do. For one thing, since it's just me and the hub around the house most of the time these days, I only make enough sauce to feed the 2 of us. It's a quick and easy sauce and full of veggies, so you can feel very virtuous when wolfing down your pasta. I found some delicious chicken meatballs by Sabatini at my local big box store, and often add 2 or 3 per person. Couldn't be easier! Whether you are vegetarian, trying to cook a little healthier of just need something good and quick to get on the table, you are going to love this recipe, I promise! If you are serving more than two, just double it. (This picture shows the sauce with the chicken meatballs added, but it's super good without them, too.)

Vegetarian Marinara Sauce with Chicken Meatballs

Vegetarian Marinara Sauce
2 T. olive oil
1 small onion
2 - 3 garlic cloves
4 baby carrots or 1 regular carrot
1 stalk celery
1  14.5 oz. can organic diced tomatoes
1/4 c. dry red wine
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil or 1 T. minced fresh basil
1/4 tsp. sugar
Put the onion, garlic, carrots and celery into a mini food chopper and pulse until they are of uniform size and well chopped. If you don't have a mini food chopper, chop them all together until they are finely diced. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed, deep skillet over low heat. Add the veggies and saute' them until they are soft and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and sugar. Bring the sauce to a boil. Cover the skillet, turn the heat down to low and cook for 30 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta. If you are adding meatballs, simmer them for at least 20 minutes along with the sauce. This is a thick and chunky marinara, so stir it often and keep the heat low. Serves 2.

A Summer Classic: Ratatouille

Classic Ratatouille

When the markets are bursting with colorful, fresh veggies, I typically buy too many. Since I can't stand to waste anything, I often turn to ratatouille to use up my extras. Ratatouille is very forgiving, up to a certain point. You've got to have tomatoes, garlic and spices. We prefer a more classic ratatouille, with peppers, squash and eggplant. I think it's the ideal side dish for grilled meats and fish, but many vegetarian friends eat this as a main dish, over pasta or polenta. Try it while the local vegetables are abundant. Cut all of your ingredients into approximately the same size, while your garlic and onions soften in the olive oil.

If you have not tried this before, I am betting it will become part of your regular side dishes!

Ratatouille

1 T. olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves

1 medium yellow onion, small dice

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, roasted, then chopped

1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thickly sliced

1 medium yellow "summer" squash, cut like the zucchini

1 small eggplant, peeled and diced

1/3 c. V8 Vegetable juice

6 medium tomatoes, diced OR 1 11 oz. can diced tomatoes PLUS 8 halved cherry tomatoes

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup packed, torn, fresh basil

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a LARGE nonstick pan, warm your olive oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onions and continue chopping the veggies. (You probably will want to roast your red pepper first.) When the garlic and onion soften, add in everything else EXCEPT the basil, and bring the mixture to a bubble, stirring to break up the tomatoes and release their juice. Put on a lid and turn down the heat. Let this simmer for about 30 - 45 minutes, making sure it does not stick and burn, stirring occasionally. Lastly add the basil and pour the entire mixture into a shallow baking dish. (If your tomatoes were very juicy, and the mixture looks too runny, mix 1 T. flour w/1/2 c. water in a jar, shaking it well to dissolve the flour, and then add it to the ratatouille, stirring it in completely and bringing it back to a boil. This will help it to thicken up a little.)

Top w/cheese, if desired. At this point, you can refrigerate the dish and hold it up to 3 days or bake it off. If you need to hold it until later, be sure to set it on the counter for at least 15 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Italian Vegetable Soup Recipe

When I am actively trying to loose weight, it helps me to fill up on things that taste good and are not bad for me. A no brainer, right? Oftentimes, though, that is easier said than done. Here is my version of a soup that I got from Weight Watchers. Their version was a little bland. My version is tasty and good enough to serve your family and friends. It is non fat, high fiber and has no added starches or carbs.

As we used to say, "Try it, you'll like it!"



Italian Vegetable Soup



32 oz. Low Sodium, Low Fat Chicken Broth (that's a big box)

1 c. V8

1/3 c. shredded carrot

1 small can (app. 15 oz.) diced tomatoes

1/2 small onion, chopped

1/4 c. minced celery

2 lg. cloves garlic, minced (about 1 T.)

1/4 c. minced green pepper

1 med. zucchini squash, halved and thinly sliced

1 med. yellow squash, halved and thinly sliced

1 c. frozen baby broccoli florets

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil, or 2 T. fresh basil "chiffonade"

Put all of the ingredients into a medium to large, heavy soup pot. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let cook 30 - 60 minutes on low. The veg. should be cooked through. Turn it off, Take your potato masher and "mash" the soup to thicken it. (You may use an immersion blender if you have one, or cool soup and blend it in the blender, but don't puree completely.)

Then, add:

1 big handful of chopped fresh baby spinach

1/2 c. chopped roasted red pepper (buy it in a jar either on the international isle or near the pickles)

1 tsp. of salt, or to taste

a few grindings of fresh black pepper

Bring the soup back up to boil, turn it down and let simmer 15 more minutes. Garnish with a little fresh basil if you have it. Sprinkle your bowl with a T. of parmesan cheese if you can afford the extra calories!

Let me say that I KNOW this is a lot of ingredients for one recipe, but here is how I look at it: You can eat on this all week, and it will keep you from overeating at meal times. Eat a cup before lunch and or dinner. It's very healthy and full of natural fiber.

If you want to use this for a main course, add a can of drained and rinsed kidney or cannelini beans or a cup of cooked, small pasta, like seashells or elbows. Just be sure to add that to your totals for the day.