WHAT’S FOR DINNER

FIRE-ROASTED MEAT SAUCE

Just a few days are left until the Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday. Bet you’re hungry — and not just for training to be over! Tradition calls for carboloading with pasta in the days leading to a big race, but you need protein, too.

This hearty sauce, made with fire-roasted tomatoes and hot red pepper, is perfect to serve two days out with a pile of whole-wheat spaghetti or fettuccine. We enjoyed it with whole-grain spelt rotini, made from a species of wheat cultivated for more than 6,000 years. 1 pound 85 percent lean

ground beef 1 onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 28-ounce can diced

fire-roasted tomatoes 5-ounce can tomato paste 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil teaspoon red-pepper flakes teaspoon salt teaspoon ground black pepper cup red wine 1 tablespoon sugar

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook for 5 minutes, or until the pink disappears, breaking up beef.

Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until onion and pepper are slightly softened.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, red wine and sugar. Stir to combine. Once the sauce is bubbling, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Serves 6. Nutrition: 249 calories, 17 grams carbs, 17 grams protein, 12 grams total fat — “The Runner’s World Cookbook: 150 Ultimate Recipes” (Rodale, October

2013, $26.99)

For more runners’ recipes to fuel the body pre- or post-race, check out Thursday’s Food & Flavor or go to post-gazette. com/food.