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let me introduce you to chimichurri. originally from argentina, chimichurri is used on grilled meat {chicken, steak, burgers, you name it}, but it’s now common to dress your vegetables with this flavorful sauce, too. chimichurri seriously enhances the flavor of any grilled food you eat. no matter what, i guarantee you, it will, oh, it will, taste better. try it ;)

i remember the first time making chimichurri in the U.S. was for my husband back in college. we were dating and being from venezuela, i wanted to show him different flavors from south america. i remember it being summer, which was perfect for grilling steaks on the “front porch.” that’s a funny story. matt’s college house, which he rented with his high school friend, Joe, was hilarious. their bathroom was the size of an airplane bathroom, with the inside of the door “autographed” by every person to put a foot in the house. they didn’t start it, the previous tenants did. the door had so much sharpie on it that you couldn’t see the standard white paint doors have. that bathroom screamed college loudly. haha.

the other thing about the house is that they converted the “front porch” into a 4 x 6 bedroom or maybe it was 5 x 7. hahaha so tiny… {that’s what she said}. haha sorry, i had to.

okay, the funniest part of the bedroom was that the landlord did not lay a foundation and used only 4 concrete blocks to support the entire bedroom instead. so we would roll a pen from one side of the bedroom to the other and it would roll like it would down a hill. it was pretty cramped in there but they managed to put in a mini walk-in closet. i would just call it a closet but it’s all about the “perks” when you are trying to rent a house to college students. matt and joe changed bedrooms every 6 months so they could both have “the rights” to the nice bedroom, which was ginormous and even had hardwood floors.

so back to the “front porch” where the grill was. because the small bedroom was originally the front porch, the landlord moved the front door to the side of the house. the front door was accessible by two very small steps. the grill laid next to the steps against the house on the gravel. yeah, they didn’t have a driveway, hahaha it’s just funny because the house is just one block away from campus and it sounds like it’s in the middle of nowhere. oh college.

every summer, we would grill pretty much everything on joe’s grill {thank you joe!}. one afternoon i told matthew we were eating steaks with chimichurri. he’s never heard of it before. of course he said, “nice, i like chimichangas,” and i said, “wrong food, wrong country, it’s chi-mi-chu-rri.” so i went over the ingredients and he was down. alright i thought. i love my boyfriend!

chimichurri is pretty simple to prepare. very to the point, which is very convenient for a week day dinner or for a fast and flavorful lunch. i seriously love everything about it, and maybe you should too!

here i show you the how-to and recipe. enjoy!

add garlic and red onion to food processor.

parsley and cilantro are next!

lime juice and red pepper flakes gives it an amazing flavor :)

olive oil going in.

doesn’t the chimichurri look amazing?

chimichurri

ingredients:
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, medium size, rinsed and partially stemmed*
1/2 bunch cilantro, medium size, rinsed and partially stemmed*
2 cloves garlic
1/4 medium red onion
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, less if you don’t like it spicy
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice {lemon juice works, too}
1/2 tsp sea salt, more or less to taste
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

yields 1-1/2 to 2 cups approximately.

directions:

put all ingredients in a food processor, pulse a few times and blend until well combined. consistency should be somewhat thick and liquidity. you don’t want a paste, so if it’s too thick, add more olive oil. if you don’t have a food processor, chop everything by hand and mix in olive oil.

refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container. serve at room temperature so the consistency is somewhat liquidity.

serve with meats or veggies.

*cut the stems just right where the fresh herbs start and use.

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growing up, one of my favorite meals was pasta with ground beef, tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. tons of the latter, of course. cheese, cheese, cheese with everything :)

now, bolognese sauce or “ragu alla bolognese” originally from Bologna, Italy, is a different type of sauce and commonly served with flat, long pasta such as pappardelle or fettuccine. this is also delicious but it’s very different from the one in this post. the bolognese recipe calls for celery, carrots, milk, wine, onions, pancetta or bacon, sometimes ground pork, ground veal, and tomato paste. no tomatoes at all.

my quick beef tomato sauce has tons of tomatoes, garlic, onions, basil, bay leaves, and so on.

i always make this sauce during the week for dinner and eat it throughout the week for lunch. this is a kid’s friendly meal and adults, of course, and i assure you they will devour it. the sauce tastes better the next day, so feel free to make it in advance.

when making lasagna i whip up this quick sauce and add it in as the “beef” since this sauce will account for the tomato sauce as well. two in one, nice, right?

oh, and the sauce can be stored in the freezer for up to one month. defrost, and dinner is ready.

set ingredients on your counter top so they are easy to grab.

brown ground beef.

crush tomato in a food processor or blender.

cook onions and garlic.

add ground beef back to the skillet along with crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, bay leaves, salt and pepper.

after 30 minutes of simmering, here’s what it looks like.

quick beef tomato sauce

ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef {only 10% fat}
1/2 medium red onion or any other onion you have, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp light butter {i used land of lakes}
2 tbsps tomato paste
1 28 oz. can organic crushed tomatoes with basil
1 ripped tomato, chopped in the food processor or blender
2 tbsps organic ketchup
2 tbsps granulated sugar {you can use agave instead}
1 tsp sea salt, more or less to taste
1/2 tsp ground fresh pepper
4 bay leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
1 14.5 oz box elbow macaroni whole wheat pasta {i used barilla plus}
shredded parmesan cheese, for serving
chopped basil, for serving

serves six people

directions:

1. brown ground beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. drain fat with a strainer and set aside. wipe skillet with a paper towel.

2. in the same large skillet cook onions with butter over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. add garlic and mix well. season with a little bit of the salt and pepper. add ground beef, tomato paste, ketchup, chopped tomato, crushed tomatoes and mix well.

3. sprinkle sugar and season with the rest of salt and pepper. add bay leaves and stir well until everything is well combined. bring to a boil for 3 minutes.

4. turn down heat to simmer or very low. cover skillet and simmer for 30 minutes.

5. add olive oil and mix well.

6. serve pasta in individual bowls and follow with the beef tomato sauce.

7. sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and garnish with chopped basil. serve hot!

sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week in an airtight container. you can freeze it for up to one month. defrost overnight before serving.