Spaghetti With Meat Sauce

Prep: Slice celery into thin slices. Dice carrot very fine. I use the food processor to dice this into almost a paste. Chop garlic and onion fairly fine.
Cook: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, carrot, and celery until translucent. Make sure you don't over heat and brown them, just sweat them out. Add hamburger. Season with salt and pepper. I like to add a bit of seasoning salt to this as well. Cook until hamburger is no longer pink. At this time you can move the sauce to a slow cooker, or if you are going to be close, you can continue to simmer on the stove top. Add diced tomatoes, sauce, paste, and seasoning packet. Stir together. Salt and pepper to taste. If you do this on the cook stove and use medium to high heat, stirring frequently, this sauce can be served after only about 30 min. For the best results, simmer in a slow-cooker for 2 or more hours, or on your stove top on low heat for the same amount of time.
20 minutes before serve: Heat a pan of salted water to boiling. Add spaghetti and cook until tender. Serve with sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Chef's Note & Story

The carrot I add to this recipe not only adds nutritional value, but the sweetness of the carrot tempers the acidity of the tomatoes. I have also added mushrooms as well, and add those to the saute just before the hamburger.