Spaghetti-Sauced Meat over Green Bean "Noodles"

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This recipe, originally from True-FN client, Aaron Kromer, has become a MAINSTAY of our home cookbook! It's super easy, super protein-rich (some may even say "Paleo"), and will last several meals for even the heartiest eaters.

Spaghetti-Sauced Meat over Roasted Green Beans

  • 3 lbs ground beef (preferably organically raised and grass-fed)
  • 1/2 cup chopped onions
  • 2 - 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 1 20 oz can tomato sauce
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp tarragon
  • 2+ lbs frozen green beans (or fresh)
  • olive oil

Start cooking the ground meat in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the meat has been browned, add onions and fresh garlic. Then add 1 can of tomato paste, 1 can tomato sauce, oregano, basil, and tarragon, then cover with a lid for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Aaron's Note: While the recipe says 20 min, and it's definitely good in that time, I like to let it simmer for longer when possible to just help everything meld. I used a combination 80/20 and 90/10 meat. Most tomato sauce cans have a ton of unwanted added ingredients: sugars, corn syrup, etc. I found that Trader Joe's has a good all natural pre-seasoned marinara sauce, but for just plain tomato sauce you generally have to go to Whole Foods.

While the spaghetti meat is cooking, is a good time to figure out your "pasta".

Original Recipe: Green Beans!

Throw some frozen green beans onto a broiler pan (the Trader Joe's bagged frozen ones work great), toss with olive oil and broil (making sure to stir the green beans frequently). After about 5 - 8 minutes, then green beans should be slightly crispy, possibly a little charred in places.

Aaron's Note: These green beans are pretty awesome. Simple, fast, and work great with the meat sauce.

Other options:

Zucchini "noodles" (see http://nomnompaleo.com/post/5695132949/zucchini-spaghetti-zoodles-meatballs but I just put them in a pan with olive oil and sauté slightly)
Rice noodles
As an italian "chili" (maybe toss in some cayenne if you do this), plain or with some cheese and fixings
Or whatever else you like (cheat day? sloppy joes on some potato buns)
Bon appétit!