This is not a finicky recipe. This is just how I do it. Feel free to adjust anything to taste. The more vegetables, mushrooms, etc you add the more sauce you will end up with. If you make meatless sauce, you will have less sauce at the end. This recipe, as it is written, makes about 6 servings, give or take.
Ingredients
- Meat of choice*
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 1 jar mushrooms**
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 24 oz can pasta sauce***
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce****
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 baking soda
Directions
- Prepare meat – either brown hamburger or sausage in skillet seasoned with salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic, and 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning (these seasonings are separate from what is called for in the sauce) OR make meatballs.
- Melt butter in 3 quart saucepan. Add onion and mushrooms** Saute until onion is soft and translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add Italian Seasoning and sauté until butter is absorbed and herbs are fragrant.
- Pour in pasta sauce, tomato sauce, and add all remaining ingredients. Stir well.
- Add browned meat or meatballs.
- Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or more. The longer you simmer, the more incorporated the flavors will be. If you are going to simmer for longer than 45 minutes, do not add the meat until the final 20-30 minutes.
- Prepare noodles – thin spaghetti, spaghetti, linguini, whatever you want – as directed on the package.
- Serve sauce on noodles, offer Parmesan cheese, make garlic toast.
Notes
*You can use 1 lb hamburger, 1 pound sausage, a mixture of both, or you can make meatballs.
**Can use chopped green peppers, diced carrots, or a combination of these. 1/4 cup or so.
***I use Hunt’s Traditional Pasta sauce as my base, but you can use whatever brand you want. If you want to use canned tomato sauce for the entire thing, use 2 15 oz cans of sauce and 1 cup of water and use 3/4 tsp garlic and 3 tbsp Italian Seasoning – or experiment to taste. Also, if making from plain tomato sauce, you will want to simmer it at least an hour, adding the meat for the last 30 minutes.
****This recipe makes about 6 helpings. If you want to make less, just use the canned pasta sauce and omit the tomato sauce and 1 tbsp Italian seasoning.