One of my favorite comfort foods, especially in the winter, is a big pot of spaghetti. And the good news is, my grandmother’s sauce is so simple, you’ll never use the jar stuff again, I promise. Plus, you can make the whole meal for $8. This is a super-speedy weeknight meal, especially if you use angel hair whole-wheat pasta, which cooks in just 2-3 minutes.
Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
- (2) 8oz cans of tomato sauce
- 1() 4oz tomato paste
- 1 jar sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 diced green bell pepper (optional)
- 2-3 tbsp dried oregano leaves
- pinch of sugar
- salt
In a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat, sweat the onions for about 30 seconds, then dump in the ground beef. BEGINNERS TIP: allowing the onion to ‘sweat’ means you let the heat start cooking the onion and releasing the flavor. Then, dump in the ground beef and mix well with the onion. Brown the meat, about 5-6 minutes or until cooked. Drain meat.
Dump in the tomato sauce, paste and the empty paste can full of water, the mushrooms and pepper (if desired) and mix well. Then, add the oregano, good-size pinch of sugar and salt to taste. Let simmer until you’re ready to eat. The longer it simmers, the better, but it’s ready as soon as it’s hot. Serve over angel hair pasta and a green salad. And don’t forget a big class of Chianti.
Taste and See 