This recipe is my go-to for nights when I have nothing prepared. I always keep a jar or two of really good tomato basil pasta sauce in the pantry, as well as frozen grass-fed ground beef in my freezer to defrost in a pinch.
To replicate this recipe, these brands of store-bought tomato sauce are my favorites: Thrive Market Tomato Basil, Muir Glenn Tomato Basil, or Lucini Tomato Basil. All three of these are made with no added sugar and extra virgin olive oil – a combination which is actually quite hard to find in store-bought tomato sauce!
In the mix:
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1 lb gluten-free pasta or 1 spaghetti squash
1 jar tomato sauce
5 tbsp. tomato paste (~1/2 tiny can)
Handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
Parmesan cheese and red chili flakes for topping
Salt & pepper
Instructions:
Add the beef to a large skillet and season with salt and pepper. Once brown, add the tomato paste, and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the jar of pasta sauce and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. remove from the heat and stir in the basil. Top either spaghetti squash or pasta noodles with sauce and add parmesan cheese and red chili flakes to your liking. Dig in!