Easy Spaghetti Sauce!

When I was still dating my husband, he took me home to meet his family.  I fell in love with his family, but most of all, I fell in love with his mom, Joan.  Joan was so lovely and kind to me.  One thing that I will never forget is that Joan took me into the kitchen and taught me how to make her sauce.  I couldn't believe it!  I wasn't a part of her family (yet) and she was teaching me her sauce?  That was crazy!  I was so thankful!  So as she was cooking we were talking.  We were talking about everything!  I will never forget that moment in time. It was so special.  That feels like so long ago.  I miss my Mother In Law.

So, over the years I have learned how to make my own sauce from scratch, but I like to make my version of Joan's Sauce when I am short on time.  It is very simple and there is a surprise!  I hope you make it.  I hope this begins your journey to make your own sauce recipe.  

In a large pot (I use a Dutch Oven) combine:

1 tbsp Grape Seed Oil

1 Yellow Onion that has been diced

A pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper (yes, literally, pinch your salt and pinch your pepper)

Let saute' for 5 minutes on MEDIUM heat

Add 4-5 garlic cloves that have been smashed and chopped

To the Onions and Garlic Add:

2 lbs ground beef (90-10 extra lean)

1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage (remove from the casing and break apart)  You can use turkey or pork, it doesn't matter

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar (optional if you are on the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge skip this)

1 bunch of Basil that has been removed from the stems and finely chopped

A pinch of Salt and Pepper

Let cook until the meat is all crumbly and cooked.

When the meat is cooked, add:

26.46 oz of Strained Tomatoes (canned)

34 oz Tomato Sauce (canned)

28 oz Diced Tomatoes (canned)

5 oz Tomato Paste (canned)

Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to LOW and simmer with the lid on for 1-3 hours.  The longer, the better, I promise.

When you are ready to cook the pasta, about 20 minutes before serving, add 1 tsp of Baking Soda to the sauce.  This will boil out all the acid of the tomatoes and it will give you a sweeter sauce.  Strange, but it totally works!!!  You will see the sauce fizzing away.  Joan taught me this step and I do it every time I make sauce.

We prefer to eat Brown Rice or Quinoa Pasta, but this is a great sauce for Lasagna, Chicken Parm, Baked Ziti, What ever!  This is a great sauce to be eaten on Pene, Linguini, Spaghetti, Bow Ties, any kind of pasta!

 One of these days I will share with you my 8 Hour Sauce.  That is a great base for Tomato Soup (with a grilled cheese, yum!) and I make enough to freeze half of it so you don't have to go through all these steps, you just thaw out the sauce, add tomato paste and meat (it tastes great with ground turkey) and you have a quick, easy and cheap dinner!

I hope you like this recipe.  I would love to know if you make it!  If you have any questions, feel free to comment below.  Cheers!