Better Spaghetti Sauce
Recipe By: Theresa Albert-Ratchford

Serving Size: 4+4
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cook sauce today and have options all week.

Ingredients
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1 lb (500 g) extra-lean ground beef
1 tsp (5 mL) canola oil
1 onion, grated
2 carrots, grated
1 sweet green pepper, seeded, cored and grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp (15 mL) Italian herb seasoning
1 tsp (5 mL) fennel seed (optional)
2 cups (500 mL) frozen mashed squash
1 can (26 oz/796 mL) tomato sauce
1 can (5 1/2 oz/156 mL) tomato paste
1 cup (250 mL) red wine
1/4 cup (50 mL) ground flaxseed

Preparation
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In skillet, brown meat; place meat in a strainer in sink. Run under hot water to drain as much of the fat as possible. Set aside.

In large saucepan, heat oil; cook onion, carrots and green pepper until softened. Add cooked ground beef. Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning. Add fennel seed (if using).

Add squash and heat through. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste and wine. Simmer for at least 20 minutes or for up to 1 1/2 hours. Stir in ground flaxseed.

Tips
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This sauce recipe rinses away much of the saturated fat and loads up on hidden vegetables, which virtually disappear during the cooking process. It contains four to five times as much vegetable as meat, a health ratio.

Stir the ground flaxseed into the sauce at the end of cooking to maintain all of the "good fats." This invisible seed adds fibre. Do not use the seed whole because our bodies cannot break the hull down to digest all of the goodness.

Frozen mashed squash is not always available but cubed fresh or frozen squash is a good substitute. Simply add it and mash with a fork as it cooks and softens.

Grab and Go 1
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Beef Burritos: Wrap any leftover sauce in whole wheat tortillas and then individually in plastic wrap. For a quick weeknight meal, microwave for 1 to 2 minutes per wrap.

Grab and Go 2
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Better Nachos: Freeze sauce in 1/2 cup (125 mL) sizes. Reheat in microwave. Place a package of low-salt corn chips on a plate, top with warmed sauce then shredded Cheddar cheese. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes to melt cheese and you have a quickie nacho meal to serve with carrot and celery sticks.