Simple homemade spaghetti sauce

I’d like to tell you that my grandmother is half Italian and this is a special recipe that has been passed down from generations, but if I did, I’d be lying.  🙂  I just love a good ol’ bowl of comforting spe-gye-tee, like my girl Giada De Laurentiis likes to say it.  If you put your fingers together in the air and wave them back and forth while you say it, you will feel really authentic.  Or you could have no idea what I’m talking about, and then I just look dumb.

Spaghetti has always been on my short list of quick, easy, and inexpensive meals that I can make in a pinch.  I’d say that’s probably the case for most American families.  What’s not to love?  Pasta, garlic, spices, tomato sauce.  Yes please!

I’ve always been a spaghetti fan for its simplicity as well as the taste.  Brown some meat, open a jar of premade sauce, and viola…dinner is served.

I was a fan that is, until I turned the jar around and read the label.  What you’ll find is a lot of ingredients that go far beyond the tomatoes and spices.  Corn syrup, soybean oil, and weird additives are common items that lurk in between the traditional ingredients.  Waaaah!  Why does everything have to be laced with soy (likely GMO), sugar and corn syrup (also likely GMO)?

I’ve tried several organic brands of jarred pasta sauce, and not only are they expensive, the taste was not incredibly pleasant and I had to add quite a few additional spices to arrive at a flavor I liked.

Because of this, I’ve been making my own sauce for a couple of years now.  I’ve tried a lot of different recipes, but what I ended up with was something I created on my own.  Simple.  Just how I like it.  It continues to be the simple uncomplicated food that I return to over and over again.  Simple food is easy on the budget and satisfying to my taste buds.

I like to serve this spaghetti sauce over traditional spaghetti, but I do practice food rotation, so I also serve it over gluten free noodles, zucchini ribbons, and even spaghetti squash.  Spaghetti squash is my least favorite option though.  I prefer zucchini noodles as a grain free option as my spaghetti.

Above all, food should be savored and enjoyed, taking pleasure in the good gifts from above.

Buon appetito!

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Easy spaghetti sauce

A simple and tasty spaghetti sauce, which will be a crowd pleaser for the entire family.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 28 ounce organic whole tomatoes or 2 lbs. fresh skinless tomatoes (about 10-12)
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
• 1 tsp unrefined sea salt

Instructions

1. Brown ground beef and drain any excess grease.
2. Add garlic and saute for a minute or two.
3. Add remainder of ingredients, smashing tomatoes to breaking them down.
4. Stir, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
5. Break up any chunks if necessary.
6. Serve over pasta of choice, zucchini spirals, or spaghetti squash.