Traditional Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Everyone adores homemade spaghetti - especially with that extra love like momma or gramma made it. That’s precisely where I learned my spaghetti and meat sauce recipe and will divulge our family secrets to you. I remember ordering spaghetti as a child when going out to eat with my family, and it never quite measured up to what we made at home. My family recipe provides a sauce that is sweet and savory, you’ll need to make bread or toast to soak up the extra sauce. This dish is a crowd pleaser and so easy to make, that’s how you know it’s Morgan Made.

What you will need:

• 1 - 1.2 pounds of ground beef (96% lean)

• 1 medium sized white onion or 1/2 large sized white onion chopped

• 2 ounces of minced garlic

• 29 ounces of tomato sauce

• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese

• Parsley (for garnish)

• Olive oil

• 1 bay leaf

• 3 tablespoons of oregano

• 4 tablespoons of white sugar

• 1 tablespoon of pepper

• 1 tablespoon of salt

• Spaghetti noodles

Of course, there are many substitutes you can opt for when gathering your ingredients. For example, you can substitute classic pasta with gluten-free alternatives. I always recommend obtaining fresh herbs as opposed to dried herbs, but the taste will be delicious either way. You can also buy organic tomato sauce or other organic materials. If you want to REALLY go all out and obtain the freshest sauce, you can make your own using actual tomatoes. That’s a whole other recipe, though.

Cooking process:

Step 1: prep ingredients

You will want to have all of your ingredients prepped. Start by chopping your onion finely, then mince your garlic. If you have fresh herbs (such as oregano) you will want to chop finely as well. Do not chop your bay leaf, that will simmer whole in the sauce later.

Step 2: start cooking

In a large sauce pan, add a drizzle of olive oil and start on low-medium heat. Add your chopped onion. You will want to stir your onion frequently so it does not burn. When the onion becomes translucent in color, add your minced garlic. Stir for approximately 1 minute.

Step 3: add ground beef

It’s time to brown your meat! Add to the pan, frequently stiring and breaking apart as it cooks. The more finely ground the meat, the more successfully it mingles with the sauce. Continue to stir and cook on low heat until meat has been fully browned, and no pink is showing.

Step 4: add sauce

It’s time to add your tomato sauce! Throw it in the pan and stir until thoroughly mixed. Reduce heat to low.

Step 5: add seasonings and herbs

Add your whole bay leaf to the pan and submerge into the sauce. Then add your parmesan cheese, oregano, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir until everything is well blended and cover. Let simmer on low heat for approximately 25-30 minutes, stiring frequently.

Step 6: make noodles

Prepare a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add spaghetti noodles, breaking in half before adding to the pot. Add a drizzle of olive oil to prevent your noodles from sticking later. Add a dash of salt to boiling water. Continue to boil, stirring frequently for approximately 10-11 minutes. Drain when noodles are cooked, do not rinse.

Step 7: prepare your plate

Grab any size helping of noodles and sauce, stir well. Add additional parmesan cheese and a little bit of fresh parsley as garnish. Enjoy with fresh bakery bread with butter or Texas toast.

Before anyone says it, I will; sugar DOES belong in spaghetti sauce.