Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Spaghetti with meat sauce is one of those dishes that I make with whatever I have on hand.  I like to use ground Italian sausage, but I can’t always find it.  Instead, I buy the links and remove the casings.  If I don’t have sausage, I add diced pepperoni to the ground meat.  I sometimes use a can of whole Italian peeled tomatoes and crush them myself.  Other times I use a can of tomato paste instead of the puree.   Whatever makes life easier.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 8

Author: olives-n-okra

For thicker sauce, substitute a tablespoon of double concentrate tomato paste for the puree. Add water, a little at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 pound ground beef or chuck
• 5 to 6 Italian sausage links casings removed
• 1 28- ounce can Italian crushed tomatoes
• 1 28- ounce can tomato puree
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 7 or 8 basil leaves sliced into ribbons
• 1 pound spaghetti

Instructions

• In a large saucepan add oil and heat on low. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender.
• Turn the heat up to medium. Add ground chuck and sausage and cook until the meat is browned, stirring often.
• Add tomatoes, puree, salt. and cheese; stir well. Bring sauce to a boil and boil for 3 or 4 minutes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add basil; mix well. Adjust salt as necessary.
• While sauce is simmering, cook spaghetti in a large pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente (about 8-10 minutes). Drain well. Toss spaghetti with meat sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.