I have to largely credit the lovely chef Giada de Laurentiis for this recipe, though I’ve updated it slightly to better incorporate my personal tastes.

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 stalk of celery, minced
• 1 peeled carrot, minced
• 1.25lbs ground beef
• 1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
• ¼ cup fresh, flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (plus more to taste)

• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more if you like it spicy!)
• ¼ cup Romano cheese (freshly grated, or from the bottle, which is what I used)

To prep the fresh herbs and vegetables, I used an amazingly versatile little appliance that’s appropriately called the SmartStick Hand Blender, by Cuisinart.  With it, I finely chopped the parsley and basil in a matter of seconds.  Without shedding a tear, I easily minced the onion and three cloves of garlic.  A final round of blending yielded a mix of perfectly minced carrots and celery.  Of course, a sharp knife and cutting board will also do the trick.

In a large skillet or heavy pot, heat the olive oil until very hot, but not smoking.

Add the minced onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes. Add the minced carrots and celery, and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Add the ground beef and take care to mash apart any big clumps.  Continue to cook for another 10 minutes or until the beef is no longer pink.  Add the parsley, basil, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper (if desired).  Lower the heat and simmer the sauce in the open pot for about 25 minutes, which will burn off some liquid and allow the sauce to thicken.  Lastly, mix in the Romano cheese and serve.

I like to serve it over shaped pastas like fusilli or radiatore, which capture the thick, delicious sauce in all their nooks and crannies.  Enjoy!

Serves 4-6 over 1-1 ½ pounds of pasta