Old-Fashioned Spaghetti
And I weigh my words! Each family has their own recipe for spaghetti sauce, which they keep in the strictest confidence. I took it from my mother, and she took it herself from her sister-in-law who definitely took it somewhere else… Since we change it up a bit with each generation, it gets better with time! And I can say this is the best sauce I’ve tasted, period. Don’t omit any ingredient, it’s this combination that makes it taste so good.
Ingredients:
For the Meat Sauce:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 1/2 cup green bell peppers (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup water
For the Spaghetti:
- 12 oz spaghetti (or your favorite pasta)
- Salt (for boiling water)
For Garnish:
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions:
- In a large skillet, cook the ground beef over medium heat until browned. Break it up with a spoon as it cooks, then drain excess grease.
- Add the diced onion, green bell peppers, and minced garlic to the skillet with the beef. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened and fragrant.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Toss the cooked spaghetti with the meat sauce until fully coated. Serve immediately, topped with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley if desired.
ENJOY!!