Ground Beef and Veggie Skillet

I grew up with Sunday dinners at my grandparents house. Both of my grandparents were 100% Italian; so as you can imagine, dinners were ALWAYS Italian inspired. While we didn’t eat pasta every single week, we had it probably 85% of the time. This is my one of my favorite Italian inspired dinners that I’ve healthified by adding plenty of veggies for extra nutrition and fiber.

My grandparents are definitely rolling in their graves seeing me share an Italian dish without homemade sauce. Don’t let me fool you, I am ashamed!! But let’s be real, who has the time to always make a whole pot of homemade sauce? Thankfully there are many clean brands on the market, that taste fresh and authentic. In this recipe I use a jarred sauce but feel free to use your favorite family recipe if you so choose! This recipe is a staple in my house, because it’s quick to whip up and easy to make for a crowd.

Dairy free, gluten free, refined sugar free, soy free, nut free

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

·      1 pound of grass-fed ground beef

·      1 T avocado oil

·      1 small yellow onion, diced

·      3 cloves of garlic, chopped

·      3 medium zucchini/summer squash, chopped

·      1 pack of Trader Joes hearts of palm pasta, or ½ cup of chopped artichokes

·      ¾ cup of your favorite marinara

·      Sea salt and pepper

·      Red pepper flakes

·      Optional sides: bean/your favorite pasta with marinara, quinoa, or a side salad 

Directions

1.     In a large skillet, heat avocado oil on medium heat

2.     Add onion and cover, mixing every few minutes as not to burn the onion. When onions are translucent, add garlic and zucchini/summer squash. Mix every few minutes, until zucchini is soft and cooked through. Remove veggies from the pan and set aside in a bowl

3.     Add ground beef to the skillet and chop up while cooking with a spatula, until beef is no longer pink and cooked through

4.     Add veggie mix back to skillet with the ground beef followed by hearts of palm pasta or artichokes. Next, add marinara and season with sea salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if desired. Mix and cook until all veggies are warm

5.     Serve alongside optional side and enjoy!

storage: store in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for later