We’re whipping up this cozy, oh-so-easy, veggie-loaded meat sauce! Ground beef is simmered with riced cauliflower, zucchini, and carrot in your go-to jarred sauce for an easy, delicious meal. It’s an inviting (and simple!) way to add extra veggies to pasta night—especially when it’s topped with grated cheese, of course!

A fork sitting on a white plate filled with cooked spaghetti topped with a generous helping of veggie-loaded meat sauce. The meat sauce is garnished with some chopped fresh parsley. The plate is sitting on a table and next to it sits a cloth napkin and a skillet filled with more, cooked pasta sauce. The skillet is sitting mostly our of frame of the photo.

This veggie-packed sauce is going to be your new dinner hero.

I’ll keep it quick because really, I just want you to swan dive into this veggie-packed meat sauce. And yes, it is every bit as comforting, hearty and drool-worthy as the pics make it look.

With three veggies that melt right into the sauce (which is rocking some big flavor) and tender ground beef that soaks it all up, this sauce doesn’t just make pasta night feel a little heartier—it gives it some serious staying power. In just over 20 minutes, you’ve got a sauce that’s perfect for ladling over your favorite pasta. It’s as dreamy and simple as it sounds.

Oh, and I’m pretty sure you already guessed this, but it’s perfect for dipping bread, too. If pasta isn’t your thing (hey, I know there are some of you!), grab a baguette, tear off a hunk, and scoop up this sauce for an equally delicious, veggie-packed dinner.

This is the ultimate weeknight win since it uses your favorite jarred sauce (or you can grab a batch of my homemade veggie-loaded sauce from the freezer and, wow, talk about veggies on top of veggies at dinner). I hope you love it as much as I do!

Come on over and let’s make it together….

Jump to Recipe Instructions
A skillet is sitting on the stovetop. Inside the skillet, chopped white onions are cooking in some oil while being stirred with a wooden spoon.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, high-sided skillet (or Dutch oven). Once the oil is hot, add in the chopped onion and sauté for 2 minutes.
Shredded zucchini and carrots are being stirred together by hand with sautéed onions in a skillet using a wooden spoon. The skillet is on a stovetop.
Stir the grated carrots and zucchini into the sautéed onions and cook for another 5 minutes (or until the onion has softened and the vegetables have released all their moisture).
Ground beef is being broken up using a wooden spatula in a skillet filled with sautéed shredded carrots, zucchini, and onions. The skillet is on a stovetop. The ground beef is mostly still raw but starting to brown.
When most of the liquid has evaporated from the vegetables, add in the ground beef. Break up the ground beef into crumbles while cooking. Cook until the beef is cooked through and fully browned (about 6 minutes).
Garlic powder is being added to a skillet filled with cooked ground beef and sauteed vegetables. The garlic powder is being added by hand using a teaspoon. Two dollops of tomato paste and some salt are sitting on top of the other ingredients in the skillet prior to being mixed in. The skillet is sitting on a stovetop.
Mix in the salt, garlic powder, and tomato paste. Cook for another 30 seconds to let the flavors deepen.
Jarred sauce is being poured from the jar into to a skillet filled with a cooked ground beef and vegetable mixture. Cauliflower rice is also sitting on top of the beef and vegetable mixture and has not yet been stirred into the mixture.
Add the cauliflower rice and marinara sauce to the beef and vegetable mixture in the skillet. Stir to combine.
Veggie-loaded meat sauce is simmering in a skillet on the stovetop. A serving spoon is sitting in the skillet with the sauce.
Let the mixture simmer for at least 10 minutes—ideally up to 30 minutes, if you have the time. Why? The longer this sauce simmers, the richer the flavors become! Give the sauce a taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.
Serve immediately over pasta—or let the sauce cool completely before packing it up and storing in airtight containers in the refrigerator (up to 5 days; 3 months if storing in the freezer).
Veggie-loaded meat sauce is being placed on top of cooked spaghetti using a spoon. The cooked spaghetti is in a white dish on a table and a cloth napkin is resting next to the dish on the table.
5 from 3 votes

Veggie-Loaded Meat Sauce

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Course: Main Course
Author: Taesha Butler
We’re whipping up this cozy, oh-so-easy, veggie-loaded meat sauce! Ground beef is simmered with riced cauliflower, zucchini, and carrot in your go-to jarred sauce for an easy, delicious meal. It’s an inviting (and simple!) way to add extra veggies to pasta night—especially when it's topped with grated cheese, of course!
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Ingredients
 

  • 1½ Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium zucchini, grated (about 136g)
  • 1 medium carrot, grated (about 136g)
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups frozen cauliflower rice
  • 24 ounces jar marinara sauce , or any tomato-based pasta sauce
  • ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  •  Add the oil in a large high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the grated carrots and zucchini to the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes or until the onion has softened and the veggies have released all of their liquid.
  • Once most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated, add the ground beef. Cook, breaking the meat into crumbles, until the beef is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
  • Stir in the salt, garlic powder, and tomato paste. Cook for 30 seconds to develop the flavors.
  • Stir in the cauliflower rice and marinara sauce. Simmer for at least 10 minutes but up to 30 minutes, depending on how much time you have. The longer you simmer, the deeper the flavors get.
  • Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed.
  • Serve right away with pasta of your choice or allow to cool fully before packing up and storing in airtight containers.
    The sauce can be refrigerated for 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Serving: 1/6 of the recipe, Calories: 198kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 1044mg, Potassium: 963mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 2336IU, Vitamin C: 43mg, Calcium: 50mg, Iron: 4mg
Nutritional information provided here is only an estimate shared for convenience and as a courtesy. Information will vary based on ingredients + brands used to create the recipe.