Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce

As a wedding gift, I got the pasta maker attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer. It could easily be one of those gadgets that languishes in the cupboard collecting dust, but surprisingly, I use it quite regularly. It's usually pulled out when I'm making something for company, but since that hasn't happened in awhile, I thought it would be a treat for T and I to enjoy some fresh pasta.

Since the process of making pasta though is a little lengthy, the idea of a quick sauce to go with it sounded brilliant. What was also amazing about this sauce is that it's an easy vehicle to hide veggies in for unsuspecting picky diners (I'm looking at you, Dad). The second time I made this, I added red and yellow peppers and it was even better.


Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 ounces spaghetti
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3/4 pound extra lean ground beef
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

Directions

• Cook the pasta according to package directions
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 8-10 minutes
• Increase heat to medium high. Add the beef, 3/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon until no longer pink; about 5 minutes. 
• Add the tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about five minutes. Add the parsley.
• Serve the pasta with the sauce and sprinkle with the parmesan