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Hearty Spaghetti Sauce – your new family favorite

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A delicious and hearty spaghetti that the whole family will love

In most of my friend circles I have a recipe that they always request “Kristi’s Famous Spaghetti”. My hearty spaghetti sauce is is packed with flavor, meat & veggies. The best part: it comes together quickly! My kids and husband can’t get enough of this dish!

I’d say a big struggle for me and food blogging is getting the recipe down so that others can recreate them at their home. I make almost everything to taste, meaning I season as I go along. This makes it extremely hard to know what measurements are in of each thing by the time it tastes perfect. This spaghetti sauce has taken me a LONG TIME to get the recipe measurements right so that it comes out perfectly every time.

For years my friends have begged me to give them the recipe and finally I can feel comfortable sharing it!

What is in this spaghetti sauce?

With chunky pieces of meat, this meal is super comforting

Ground Turkey/ Beef & Sausage

Most of the time I do not enjoy ground beef, unless it is SUPER high quality, so I always use ground turkey. I just think the texture turns out better. The nutritional values in this recipe are based on using ground turkey and pork Italian sausage. You can definitely exchange these items for things you like more. Sometimes I swap the pork sausage for turkey sausage and it tastes great too! I typically get the sausages in the links and squeeze them out of the casing and drop them into the pan. This makes little “meat balls” that my boys just LOVE. It wouldn’t be a hearty Spaghetti sauce without the nice chunks of ground turkey and sausage in it. What ever you pick, select the spice level on the sausage that’s appropriate for your crowd.

Veggies

What makes my Hearty Spaghetti sauce so special is all the chunky veggies I pack in. I love to pack in the veggies and my kids don’t even notice most of the time. I leave them cut fairly chunky but if you need to disguise them more, feel free to mince them! We (really me) are HUGE mushroom fans, so i even DOUBLE the amount of mushrooms sometimes. I always add the bell peppers near the end because I like them to stay as green as possible and have a slight crisp to them

Sauces and Seasonings

A delicious and hearty spaghetti that the whole family will love

This recipe calls for canned tomatoes, paste and sauce, feel free to swap that for homemade versions if you have them. I wrote the recipe more for those who don’t but it would be extra delicious if you used home canned products. When you have all these tomato components spaghetti sauce can get really acidic, so I always add brown sugar or honey to help balance that. Worcestershire Sauce also helps add umami to the dish. When I am making this dish for adults I add the cayenne pepper, but for my little family, i leave it out (they are 5, 3 & 1 years old). If you add some and it’s suddenly too spicy, throw in extra brown sugar.

What to serve the Hearty Spaghetti Sauce on?

Of course it is delicious on regular pasta noodles, that’s a no brainer! But in our family we all LOVE Zoodles (zucchini noodles) and spaghetti squash. We love the taste and the extra veggie boost. My kids don’t even know the difference and they just love them! If you haven’t tried them, be sure to make them NOW! I have used this sauce in my homemade lasagna too and it is incredibly delicious!

This Spaghetti Sauce is just a perfect family meal as the weather starts to turn cold and we are looking for more comforting foods for family dinner. Make sure to check out my other comfort food meals like:
  • Instant Pot Beef Stew
  • Turkey Noodle Soup For The Soul
  • Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes
  • Gut Healing & Immune Boosting Soup

My Favorite tools for this recipe

  • Le Creuset Dutch oven
  • Hanzo Knife
  • Kitchenaid Spiralizer attachment (to make zoodles)

Hearty Spaghetti Sauce

In most of my friends circles I have a recipe that they always request "Kristi's Famous Spaghetti". My spaghetti is is packed with flavor, meat and veggies and comes together quickly! My kids and husband can't get enough of this dish!
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Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course, sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: easy dinner, ground turkey, pasta, sausage, veggies
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 371kcal
Author: sweetnsassyeats

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Ground Turkey/ Beef
  • 1 lb Itallian Sausage Sweet/ mild/ hot – depends on preference
  • 8 oz baby bella mushrooms sliced i like to double this for extra mushrooms
  • 1 medium Red Onion
  • 1 large Green Bell Pepper
  • 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups Tomato Sauce
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 1 tb garlic minced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tb italian seasonings
  • 2 tsp basil dried
  • 3 tb Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup brown sugar or honey
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional

Instructions

  • In large skillet, heat oil/ fat and sauté onions until soft.
  • Add garlic and mushrooms, sauté until tender.
  • Add Ground meat and Italian sausage, salt, ½ itallian seasonings, ½ dried basil, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper.
  • Cook 5-10 min, until meat is cooked through.
  • Add Brown Sugar and canned diced tomatoes.
  • Add diced Green Bell peppers, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and remaining half of seasonings.
  • Bring to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 10 min. Taste and adjust seasonings to preference (read my tips in body or post on how to adjust seasonings to your preference).
  • Serve over noodles, zoodles (zucchini noodles) or spaghetti sauce.
  • You can use this sauce anyway you’d use a meat spaghetti sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 1715mg | Potassium: 1317mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1148IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 5mg
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sweetnsassyeats

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Kristi Shields
Asian Noodle Salad (La Bou Copy Cat) P54.5 C51.8 F Asian Noodle Salad
(La Bou Copy Cat)
P54.5 C51.8 F9.9 CAL518
One of my favorite places to go to eat when I’m home in Northern California is La Bou. They have a ton of different salads, soups and sandwiches to enjoy and i always have to go a couple times to be able to get all my favorite menu items. One of those it their Asian Noodle Salad. It doesn’t typically come with chicken but i added that to it to complete the meal. I have no clue if this is close to their recipe but to me it tastes close to it! If you have room in your macros/ calories, add some chopped peanuts when you enjoy! This should be enjoyed COLD, i don’t know if it would be as good if it’s warm. 
* 8 Oz soba noodles (buckwheat, uncooked)
* 1 cup broccoli (cut bite size)
* 1/2 cup sugar snap peas (cut in thirds)
* 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 
* 3 green onions, diced
* 1/4 cup cilantro
* 20 Oz cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
Dressing:
* 1/4 cup liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
* 2 Tb rice vinegar
* 2 Tb Mirin
* 1 Tb sesame oil
* 1 Tsp minced ginger
* 1 tsp minced garlic 
* 1 tsp siracha 

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil (no salt). Add the noodles and cook according to the package instructions.
2. Drain and rinse with cold water.
3. Boil more water and salt the water this time. Add broccoli and sugar snap peas. Cook for 2 min and remove to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. 
4. Blend the dressing ingredients together. Then toss half the dressing with the noodles and the other half with the green veggies.
5. Assemble your bowls. Weigh the dressed noodles and divide by 4. Then put that amount in each bowl. Do the same with the green veggies.
6. Divide out the red bell peppers amount the bowls, and 5oz of chicken per bowl. Then too with green onions and cilantro. 

Let me know if you end up making this! We love it! If you don’t like a little heat, then omit the siracha, but it’s only mildly spicy. #ifitfitsyourmacros #ihmloveyourbody @iheartmacros @lilmissmittsgetsfit
Bruschetta Chicken Zoodle Bowl P57 C11.2 F8.5 CAL3 Bruschetta Chicken Zoodle Bowl
P57 C11.2 F8.5 CAL367

For all you doing the @iheartmacros challenge or just trying to eat healthy in 2021, check out my recipe! Love carb & low fat, HIGH protein! 

Here is the recipe! 
Serves 6

For the Bruschetta Topping
•6 tomatoes (seeded and diced)
•1/2 lemon (juiced)
•1 clove garlic (minced)
•1/2 small red onion (minced)
•8-12 large basil leaves (rolled up and sliced into thin ribbons, plus more for serving)
•salt + pepper (to taste)
•1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
To complete the bowl:
•4 medium zucchini (spiralized)
•4 TB Balsamic glaze 
•6 Tb Parmesan Cheese
•36 oz grilled chicken (from bulk chicken)

1.Make Bruschetta topping by tossing ingredients together and allow to marinate together in the fridge)
2.Divide up the raw “zoodles” into each serving container. Top with 6 oz of grilled chicken.
3.Dived the Bruschetta topping between each container.
4.Drizzle with 2 tsp of Balsamic Glaze and 1 Tb Grated Parmesan Cheese

Enjoy cold for crisp zoodles, or warm up covered for a slightly steamed softer zoodle.

#ihmloveyourbodychallenge #ifitfitsinyourmacros #macroprepping
Put together a little Surf n’ Turf Charcuterie Put together a little 
Surf n’ Turf Charcuterie Board 
for Christmas Dinner today! 

It consisted of:
- Smoked Reverse Seared Ribeye
- Shrimp 🍤 cocktail 🍸
- an assortment of Cheeses
- roasted sweet potato slices
- blanched asparagus
- broccoli
- fig “salami”
- fruit & veggies
- condiments
- crackers & bread
My kids always love a good Charcuterie Board and the adults are always wowed by them! It’s a #dinnerwin & a #winwin all around! 

 
#christmasdinner #charciterieboard #ribeye #surfnturf #nomnom #holidaydinner
Today I’ll be starting the dough for our familie Today I’ll be starting the dough for our families favorite dinner rolls. This is for a family who ordered them early and are celebrating Thanksgiving on Sunday. These rolls are probably the most nostalgic items from our family holiday dinners. I’ll put a link to the recipe in my profile, so you can bake them for your family this year! You’ll love these delicious orange glazed dinner rolls! My kids devour them! 

 https://sweetnsassyeats.com/orange-glazed-dinner-rolls/

#thanksgivingdinner #thanksgivingtradition #dinnerrolls
For my birthday today, I made 30 protein pancake p For my birthday today, I made 30 protein pancake portions for my friends and second family at @f45_training_farmington . I figure it was a better choice than chocolate cake! If you are doing the @iheartmacros #lhmloveyourbody challenge make these! They’ll fit in your macros and they are easy to meal prep! Recipe and macros on the last photo, swipe over to check it out! #proteinpancakes #nomnom #macrocounting #macrofriendlyrecipes #healthyeating.  Oops the CAL on the syrup are 117 not 201 🤣
This one has to be a recipe I’m most excited abo This one has to be a recipe I’m most excited about! If you are from Northern California and love LaBou {like me} then you’re gonna love this recipe! It tastes just like their Asian Noodle salad! 😋 

Cold buckwheat noodles in a mildly spicy Asian sea same dressing with crisp veggies! I added chicken to bump up the protein, and bam! A delicious balanced and healthy meal! Swipe for the recipe! @iheartmacros @shields_word #ihmloveyourbody
Another delicious meal prep for the #ihmloveyourbo Another delicious meal prep for the #ihmloveyourbody challenge!!

Swipe over to snag the recipe! @iheartmacros
White Bean Chicken Chili CAL 222 P28.9 C20.5 F2.7 White Bean Chicken Chili
CAL 222 P28.9 C20.5 F2.7
(per serving w/ topping)
Recipe in stories and next slide on post.

Made this delicious healthy chili for dinner tonight and for some meals this week. This is week 2 of our #ihmloveyourbody challenge! Even with attending a family wedding we’ve been able to stay on track! 

So excited to make real changes towards our heath goals! Thank you @iheartmacros for this awesome challenge! 

This recipe was even popular with my kids! #winning It’s also freezer friendly! 💥
The most delicious gelato flavor i got at @buoniss The most delicious gelato flavor i got at @buonissimo_gelato in Sayulita! It is Pineapple Basil 🤯 #pineapplebasil #gelato #buonissimo #nombom #sayulita
Enjoyed a delicious dinner seaside in Punto Mita t Enjoyed a delicious dinner seaside in Punto Mita today! What a delicious ending to a great day of exploring the cute towns up the coast! #freshlobster #shrimpbrochetta #seasiderestaurant #nomnom #goodeats #puntodemita
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