Meat sauce with spaghetti
My Midwestern roots are strong with this recipe. Growing up, my mom would always make a homemade meat sauce and pair it with freshly cooked spaghetti. We loved it, and it’s too good of a recipe not to share while it’s cold outdoors. If you’re looking for an authentic Italian recipe, this isn’t it. But it’s super cozy and delicious!
INGREDIENTS
– 2 tbsp unsalted butter
– 1 medium onion, minced
– 1 small bell pepper, diced
– 1 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp black pepper
– 3 cloves garlic, minced
– 2 tsp dried basil
– 1 tsp dried oregano
– 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
– 1 lb ground beef
– 6 oz tomato paste
– 14 oz tomato sauce
– 28 oz diced tomatoes
– 1 lb spaghetti
INSTRUCTIONS
– In a 6-quart stock pot or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, bell pepper, salt, and black pepper. Sauté until the onion and pepper are softened and turning translucent, 4-6 minutes.
– Add the minced garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, and red chili flakes. Cook for 30 seconds and add the ground beef. Cook and break the beef into small pieces until it is fully browned, 8-10 minutes. Once the beef is cooked, add the tomato paste. Stir the paste into the mixture and allow the paste the cook until it darkens and starts to coat the bottom of the pan, 6-8 minutes.
– Once the paste has cooked, add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. To clean the containers out, use a small amount of water and pour it into the sauce. Stir and bring the sauce to a simmer. Once simmering, cover and cook for 18-20 minutes.
– While the sauce is cooking, prepare the spaghetti according to the package directions to reach al dente stage.
– When the pasta is al dente, turn the sauce to low heat and add the pasta directly to the sauce. Any residual water dripping off the pasta can be added to the sauce. Stir the pasta and sauce to combine and finish cooking the noodles for 2-3 minutes. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
