Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

When I was small, there was one meal that we looked forward to more than any other. That was my dad's homemade spaghetti sauce! 

This is my dad, Tom. He passed away a few years ago.

He would start making it in the early afternoon so that, by the time we got home from school, the entire house would be consumed by it's alluring aroma. 

That is the draw of something that has been simmering the whole day away. 

 It just feels like love. 

However, when most of us think of spaghetti today, we think of a jar. 

Sure, we doctor them up, add a little something, something, but in the end, it's still not the same. 

That is until now! That's Right! You can have that same, special, cooked-all-day flavor in 30 minutes! 

 No, I'm not kidding! 

30 MINUTES! 

Let me show you how I do it!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce:

*Prep Time: 10 minutes  *Cook Time: 20 minutes *Difficulty:  Easy  *Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of ground beef
• 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 c. dry wine or chicken stock
• 1/3 c. water
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tbsp. basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Tools:

• Dutch Oven
• Cutting board
• Chef's knife
• Measuring cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Wooden spoon
• Rubber spatula



To begin, place your Dutch oven over medium high heat, and

allow to get hot. 

This would be a great time to begin dicing your vegetables. 

When the pot is hot, add a little olive oil.

Toss in the onions and cook until soft and translucent.

Then, toss in the green peppers. 

They cook until tender.

Now it is time for the garlic.

Remember, you only cook garlic long enough to smell it coming from the pan.

Now you can add your ground meat. 

Chop it up with a rubber spatula and mix well with your

vegetables.

Now it is time to add your

salt and pepper...

Garlic powder...

Onion powder...

And basil.

When your meat has fully cooked, you will add the

wine.

  If you would prefer to stay away from wine, you can use chicken stock, of course.

This will deglaze the pan and get all of those brown bits off of the bottom,

creating another layer of great flavor in your sauce.

Let the wine simmer for a minute or two, long enough to reduce by half.

Now you can add the tomatoes.

When you put the can of tomatoes into the pot, you will have

the consistency you are looking for at the end. 

However, this has to simmer for a little while.

So I like to add about a 1/3 cup of water.

This way, the water will evaporate,

and you will be left with a nice, thick sauce.

Here is my secret ingredient!

Brown Sugar!

I KNOW RIGHT! 

 Who would have thought!?! 

This is what give your sauce something a little sweet,

and it will have your guests saying

"What is that?"

Trust me... ;) 

The Kitchen Wife knows.

This next step isn't necessary really, but growing up,

my mom would always put a bay leaf in the sauce.

Whoever got the bay leaf, would have good luck that day!

So, I choose to uphold this tradition in sauce as well.

Hey, we can all use a little extra luck, right!

Bring the sauce to a nice simmer...

Cover, leaving a small vent, and let simmer for 20 minutes.

I will tell you that if you have extra time, let is simmer for up to an hour!

The longer it simmers, the more complex the flavor. 

After 20 minutes it will look a little something like this.

See, in a small about of time, on a weeknight, you can serve your family

something that smells and tastes like it has been on the stove all day.

This says "I love you." 

This says "I was thinking about you."

That is the beauty of home cooking.  It's not about the time that it takes,

but the love that goes into it. 

Make this special not-so-slow simmered sauce for your family tonight.

It is great over pasta, or maybe even in a nice pan of lasagna!

I would love to hear your story and see your pictures on my Facebook Page!

And as always...

Happy Reading, Happy Eating, and Happy Living,

~The Kitchen Wife~