It’s Food Friday! And I must really love you guys because I am about to share one of the things that makes me the happiest in all the world. As a kid, I gorged on this stuff. As an adult, I eat a lot of it, too (although I don’t eat wheat anymore, so I either use gluten free pasta or use zucchini that has been turned into “pasta”).
Truly, y’all should bow at my mother’s feet, this recipe is so good. Try it. I bet you’ll love it!
What follows is the recipe that she gave me when I went away to college. I eyeball the ingredients now, which just goes to show you that this recipe is idiot-proof. You can tweak the ingredients and it’s still a major yum-fest.
Without further ado …
Mom’s Italian Meat Sauce
2 T. Olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb ground beef
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 lb mushroom, diced (I always use more)
1 T chopped fresh parsley or 1 t dried
1 #3 can Italian Style tomatoes (to this day, I do not know what a #3 can is. Go with the normal sized can, about 15 oz)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce (or thereabouts)
1 4 oz can tomato paste (or thereabouts)
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/8 t red pepper
1/4 t allspice
1/2 t oregano
1 t basil
1 bay leaf
1 t sugar (I never use)
(Note, I tend to use more of the spices, and I almost always double or triple the entire recipe)
In a 5-6 qt heavy pan, heat oil and saute onions and garlic lightly. Add meat. Brown meat, stirring to break up pieces.
Add green pepper/mushrooms. Cook 2 minutes.
Stir in other ingredients.
Cover and cook 2 hours over low heat.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
Serves 4-6 (enough for about 1lb of spaghetti).
Let me know what you think! Got any recipes you’d like to share?
[signoff]
Release me is a great book. Hate to wait so long for Claim me and Complete me.
Are they a continuation of Damien’s dark side?
Hey Caroline! Yes, the three books in the trilogy all center around Damien and Nikki!
Hmm, allspice? I use allspice and nutmeg (cinammon too) in a lot of my dishes but I never thought of putting allspice in my spaghetti sauce. Sounds delish! Thanks for the recipe!
oops, I mean cinnamon. 😉
LOLOL! Well, I’m not a huge spice person, but I do know that allspice works great. I don’t think cinnamon would, though!