From Virginia Wiedemann:   "No self-respecting  Italian would put all this stuff on top of good pasta, but this is a great way to get lots of veggies inside of those folks in your house who think they don't like them!  You can make it with textured vegetable protein, reconstituted with beef broth and gravy master, so no one knows that it's soy beans instead of ground beef, but you may do as you wish...  You will wish you made more of it, though."

Spaghetti American Style

1 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground sirloin
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
1-1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup green peppers, peeled & cut in 1" squares (Note)
1 -26 oz can or jar chunky spaghetti sauce (Note #2)
12 oz spaghetti (Note #3)
freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup very dry red wine (optional)

Heat oil in very large skillet or non-aluminum Dutch oven.  Sauté onion and garlic until onion is transparent.  Add mushrooms and cook until they give up their liquid.  Add ground beef and cook and stir until no longer red.  Add zucchini and green peppers, and cook an additional 5 minutes or less to soften.  Add spaghetti sauce.  For extra flavor you can also add about 1/2 cup of very dry red wine when you add the sauce to the pan.  Turn heat down to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes while cooking and draining spaghetti.

To serve, top with freshly grated parmesan. Please do not use the pre-grated sawdust-like stuff that comes in green containers in the supermarket. 

Note:  Peel green peppers with a swivel blade potato peeler.

Note #2:  Del Monte sauce is very good and much lower in fat than the "Italian" name brands.

Note #3:  Imported whole wheat pasta tastes the best, or if you are gluten sensitive, use rice or other gluten-free pasta.