Simple and Easy Spaghetti Sauce

This is my go to sauce.  I use it for everything Italian - spaghetti, lasagna, calzones, ravioli, etc. It is very versatile and so easy to make that I was able to have my husband make it while I was on bedrest and told him the ingredients off the top of my head.

 

It is made from ingredients that most people have on hand and tastes 10x better than anything from the jar.  You can also make ahead of time and freeze it but since we usually have the stuff on hand and its quick to put together, I never bother.

I like to use the eyeball method for measuring my spices

Heather’s Spaghetti Sauce

(Adapted from Recipezaar.com)

Estimated Times:

Preparation Time:     15 mins

Cook Time:                60 mins

Servings:                    4-6

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef or turkey

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion chopped, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp parsley

Ground pepper

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes

Directions

1. Brown the ground beef in a saucepan. Remove beef and set aside
2. Add olive oil to pan and sauté onion and garlic.
3. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes.  Stir well and add seasonings.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes.
4. Puree with a hand blender or in a blender till smooth. Add ground beef back to sauce and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Serve with cooked spaghetti.

 

The proper way and best way is to let this sauce simmer for a half or so and then puree it in a blender or with a hand blender but if you don't have much time you can throw all ingredients into a blender, heat up and have great sauce ready in 5 min.  You can also leave chunky instead of pureeing it.  You can have it plain, add browned ground beef to it or simmer meatballs in it.  Use it in lasagna or on top of any pasta of your choosing.

No need to buy jar sauce anymore!