Mediterranean Beef Toss

Boomette's Note:

From Taste of Home. Posted for ZWT - Greece

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• hot cooked spaghetti (optional)

Directions:

1. In a nonstick skillet, cook the beef, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute onion in remaining oil for 2 minutes. Add zucchini and green pepper; cook and stir for 4-6 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar, basil, thyme and remaining salt. Add the beef mixture; heat through. Serve over the spaghetti if desired.

Reviews

[Ellen McG]

Great easy dish! I tweaked by using two green peppers and only one zucchini, a full pound of ground beef, and instead of pasta we put it on some basmati rice and topped with feta. Delish! Next time I'll probably use a bit more garlic and a pinch more red wine vinegar.

[Jen T]

A fast fresh tasting dish. The only change I made was to use a 14oz (400g) can of diced tomatoes with fresh basil with about half a can of water that I rinsed the can with. I aso added in half a diced red pepper as it was looking lonely in the fridge. DH said to not lose this recipe and that is high praise indeed. :) Served over fettucine. Made for NZ/Aus swap May 2011.

[breezermom]

This recipe produces a beautiful end result....the colors are fabulous. It is very filling with the pasta....I only had to have 1/2 cup of the sauce and about 1/4 cup of pasta before I was totally full. Plus it is full of things that are good for you. But I'd have to decrease the onion in this, as it seemed to overpower all the other flavors, and I only added 3/4 of the onion. This also makes quite a lot of sauce....but I am going to freeze some of it and turn it into a soup! In the future, I may add mushrooms and olives. Thanks for sharing! Made for Photo Tag!