I was taught how to make this spaghetti sauce when I was old enough to start cooking. I have changed it ever so slightly over the years to suit my smooth-sauce loving self.
I can usually have this sauce ready by the time I can get the spaghetti noodles cooked. From start to finish, this meal takes about 20-25 minutes to cook.... MUCH faster then any delivery food and MUCH better for you!
I recently made my brother 9 quarts of this sauce without meat to store in his freezer so he could easily brown hamburger, boil noodles, and have a homemade dinner ready without any trouble. Just in case he'd like to be able to cook it from start to finish, I've taken a lot of pictures and tried to break down the steps to help make this easy sauce even easier.
Sauce with ground venison
Sauce without meat
Start by browning 1 pound of ground beef or venison (not pictured). Scoop out the cooked meat and set aside. Reserve the fat (if it's from grass-fed animals) or drain the fat and add ~2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Turn the stove on medium and start to warm the oil while you cut up the onion (if you have a gas stove, your pan will heat much more quickly so you can turn on your pan after you cut your onion).
I cut my onion in half, trim off each end and peel the skin off.
You can dice the onion by hand or use a food processor (which I used since I was making 9 batches of sauce that day). Pulse until it's a fine dice.
Add the onion to the pan and cook it on medium heat until it's translucent and tender. Stir it enough so that it doesn't brown. If it starts to brown, turn down the heat a bit.
As the onions are cooking, peel and dice 1-3 cloves of garlic, depending on how much garlic you like. I usually use only 1 clove. If you whack a clove of garlic with something heavy (a mug, a can, etc), the peel will come off very easily.
Peel the garlic
Dice the garlic finely.
When the onions are fully cooked and tender, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more.
Add 1 small can of tomato paste
Peel the garlic
Dice the garlic finely.
When the onions are fully cooked and tender, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more.
Add 1 small can of tomato paste1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups of water (depending on how thin or thick you like your sauce)
3/4-1 tsp. salt (I start with 3/4 tsp. then add a bit at the end if it needs it)
pepper to taste
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Stir together and set heat on low. Add back in the ground meat (if you want a meat sauce). Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning. Serve with pasta.
Stir together and set heat on low. Add back in the ground meat (if you want a meat sauce). Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning. Serve with pasta.
This recipe makes enough for 1 pound of pasta.
I've linked this recipe up with Simple Lives Thursday.
