Growing up I thought all spaghetti sauces had ground beef in them, because that is how my mom made hers. Well I was wrong, and the sauce that I grew up on was a version of a Bolognese sauce. Who knew that my mom cooked fancy sauces?!
Another aspect to Mom’s Spaghetti Sauce Recipe is that the sauce is homemade and uses a secret ingredient which won’t be much of a secret much longer! Don’t worry, I asked for permission to share her secret.
The homemade sauce is unique and this fall I will be writing a post about it and how to can (fingers crossed). In the recipe there are hidden vegetables such as onions, garlic, green peppers and carrots, which is great for picky eaters! I guess that is how my mom got veggies into my brother and I. When I am not using mom’s canned homemade sauce, I add minced garlic, and minced onions to the sauce.
Ingredients:
1 lb of ground beef
32 ounces of tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Parsley
1 teaspoon Basil
1/8 c of dry grated Parmesan
Optional seasonings:
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tablespoon dry minced onions
1 teaspoon Parsley
Cooking Instructions:
Brown 1lb of ground beef on medium heat in a large frying pan. Drain off excess grease if needed.
Add tomato sauce to the browned ground beef.
Add seasonings (Oregano, Parsley, Basil) and stir. Since I am using homemade canned spaghetti sauce that has is already seasoned I do not need to add a lot of extra seasonings. If you are using plain tomato sauce add in the optional seasonings.
Now for the secret ingredient, dry grated parmesan. You know the stuff in the shaker cans! Add to the browned ground beef and tomato sauce mixture. The dry grated parmesan will help thicken the sauce.
Turn down the heat to low and allow the spaghetti sauce to simmer for 1 hour.
Serve with pasta, spaghetti squash or even zoo-noodles.
Enjoy! Note: This recipe freezes well. I often will freeze a cup of this sauce when making it for a quick dinner on busy nights. Just thaw in the refrigerator and microwave until hot. Lasts up to 2 months in the freezer.
In the Kitchen with Johnna Rose 