I fried the beef separately and added to sauteed tomatoes and garlic and two cans diced tomatoes undrained, used minced onion and had some roasted red peppers in the fridge. Added seasoning blend from cupboard (rosemary, thyme and basil). Cooked all ingredients together over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Leave lid off if you want some of the liquid to evaporate.