Meat sauce I made yesterday turned out great. I love to serve it with steamed zucchini or cabbage, but it’s also really good on top of cooked spaghetti squash (don’t forget lots of cheese). Of course, this is also great on pasta if you’re not eating low carb. Recipe below.
1 lb ground beef (I used 85/15 – 80/20 is ideal for ketogenic lifestyle)
2 TB butter or olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 carrot, finely diced or grated
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 TB fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 can (6-7 oz) tomato sauce
2 Roma tomatoes, diced (leave the juice/seeds)
1/4 to 1/2 cup dry red wine (or broth/stock)
1 tsp basil leaves, chopped
In a pot, heat 1/2 the butter or olive oil over medium, then add the carrot and onion and reduce heat to low, cooking until soft. Add the remaining butter and garlic, and cook until fragrant. Remove the cooked carrots, onion and garlic from the pot and set aside.
Add the ground beef and brown, breaking it up into small pieces as it’s cooked. You can drain the meat at this stage, if you want (I leave it in and while it cooks, it re-incorporates into the sauce and keeps the meat super-tender, plus, I have not been getting enough fat in my daily macros).
Season the meat with the oregano, marjoram, salt and pepper. De-glaze the pot by adding in some red wine (or broth) and stir while scraping up the browned bits stuck to the pot. This part really makes the sauce delicious.
Add the tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, and the return the carrots and onions to the mixture. Lower heat and allow sauce to reduce, about 1 hour, 30 minutes, minimum. The sauce should be very thick and meaty. Feel free to thin it with a little water, chicken stock, or more wine, if needed/desired. Add basil leaves and stir to cook them through, then serve. Freezes well, keeps in the fridge about 3 days.
