I love pasta, but it’s often not healthy. That’s really a shame, because it tastes so good. This recipe, though, has both health and taste value. It’s very like a Pasta Bolognese recipe, but doesn’t use fresh herbs (unless you have them on hand, of course—then feel free to throw them right in). Instead, it uses all fresh vegetables. Yum, yum, and more yum.

Here’s what you need: enough dry pasta (of any kind) for two people, about a tablespoon of olive oil, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, 2 garlic cloves, half an onion, about ¼ or 1/3 lb. ground beef or ground turkey, about 1/3 cup milk, 2-3 plum tomatoes, ½ teaspoon dry oregano, ½ teaspoon dry basil, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and a couple tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese (optional).

First, chop the celery, carrot, onion, garlic, and tomatoes. That is, by far, the most work in the recipe. Everything else is smooth sailing.

Swirl the olive oil in a pan and put it on low-medium heat. Add everything you just chopped except the tomatoes. Sauté for about 5 minutes.

Crumble the ground beef into the mix and stir for about a minute. Then add the milk, and cook the mixture for another 2 minutes. Most of the milk will evaporate, which is what you want to happen.

After that, add the tomatoes.

Then add the oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.

It should be starting to smell great in your kitchen right about now. Turn the heat down to low and continue simmering the sauce for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, you can cook and drain your pasta.

When time’s up, pour the sauce on your pasta, top with cheese if you like, and enjoy!