Not Yo' Mama's Spaghetti Sauce

Ok, so your mom could totally make a spaghetti sauce like this. But mine doesn't, so hence the title! One day I'll post my recipe for a basic tomato sauce (from actual tomatoes), but I know that most of you will find this recipe more in your comfort zone.

Top three reasons why I love this recipe?

1. The Hubs likes lots of meat in his spaghetti sauce.
2. The house smells ah-maze-ing while this is simmering!
3. This sauce freezes easy for later use.

I make this and freeze in advance whenever we have family visiting. This way, I look awesome for making my own spaghetti sauce, but I don't have to waste precious visit time with cooking. Win win!

Freezing the sauce

Here's what you need to get started:

You also need 1 pound each of ground beef and ground, mild Italian sausage (somehow, they didn't make it into the picture).

I'm going to tell you all my secrets for making awesome spaghetti sauce… simmer, simmer, simmer and always allow your sauce to rest overnight before using. Seriously, my friends, trust me! These two things alone can make or break your sauce. Really wonderful sauce allows plenty of time for those delicious flavors to meld.

Let's get busy!

Add your ground beef and sausage to a large pot, along with ½ of a diced onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Brown the meat, and then drain the fat from this mix.

Next, we add in all our tomato products - 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes, 16 ounces of tomato sauce, and 12 ounces of tomato paste. Also add in a ½ cup of warm water (this keeps the sauce moist during all the simmering). Combine well with the meat, and let the mixture warm up a bit because we're going to add in all the yummy spices next.

For the seasoning mix, I use: 1 teaspoon of fennel seed, 1 tablespoon of fresh basil (chopped), 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley (chopped), 1 teaspoon of oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, and… 2-3 tablespoons of white sugar.

Yep, you heard me right! SUGAR. This is of major importance, peeps. The sugar helps reduce the sharp acidic flavor of the tomatoes. You can add as much or as little as you like, but taste as you go. The sauce will become sweeter as it simmers, so don't add too much. Then, you just wait for the magic to happen! Let your sauce bubble and blend over low heat for at least 90 minutes. Stir it occasionally. Once in a while, sneak a taste. Relish in the joy that is spaghetti sauce.

At the end of 90 minutes, turn off the burner and allow your sauce to come to room temperature before you refrigerate it. This prevents too much condensation on your finished product. Cover and refrigerate overnight before using.

I particularly like to use this sauce in my lasagna recipe, which will hopefully be coming to the blog soon! But it's just as awesome on plain old spaghetti noodles with some garlic bread on the side.

Nom!

I'll be back soon, my friends. I've missed you during this family visit, and I can't wait to be back to blogging. As always, the standard recipe is below.

Until next time, happy cooking!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife
or on Instagram @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

The Standard Form:

Not Yo’ Mama’s Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 lb. ground beef

½ - 1 cup chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

2 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce

2 cans (6 oz. each) tomato paste

½ cup water

2 - 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Begin by browning the sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic together in a large skillet or pot over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the fat.

To the cooked meat, add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and the water. Stir well to combine. Stir all of the seasonings into the mixture. Simmer at least 90 minutes over low heat.

Remove sauce from heat and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight before using. Perfect for lasagna recipes or a spaghetti dinner.  

Lemon Basil Pasta

Often I post pictures of food to both my personal Facebook page and the blog page (you can follow ArmyLife here). I absolutely LOVE when I get requests for the recipe before I even have a chance to share it on the blog. Since this happened yesterday (and I was tickled pink!), I'm featuring my Lemon Basil Pasta a few days ahead of schedule.

That's cool with you, right? I thought so! 

Several weeks ago, I visited Venice with my pal Becky (more coming on that over the next few weeks). Whilst there, I purchased a few bags of pasta to bring home and try out with the Hubs. Honestly, the food in Italy was some of the best I've ever eaten. I'm a huge pasta fan. As in, if I was stuck on a deserted island and could only eat one type of food for the rest of my life… it would probably be spaghetti. Or lasagna. Or lemon basil pasta!

Pasta from Venice

I used this basil pappardelle (pictured above), but you can use any kind of pasta from your pantry, seriously. I've eaten this dish with penne, spaghetti, angel hair, fettuccine… they are all good.

Here's what you need to get started:

Utilizing fresh ingredients for this recipe is super important. DO NOT substitute, ok? You'll totally regret it. Also, be sure you purchase a high quality parmesan cheese, none of this weird crap in a plastic can.

We cool? Ok.

If you want to be extra bad, add some thick-cut bacon to this recipe. I mean, after all the cream and cheese, what can a little bacon hurt anyway? I use an amazing bacon I find at our local German grocery, but you can use the center, thick-cut style if you're in the States.

Chop about 6 slices (2 slices if you're using the German kind) into 1" pieces, like so:

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until done, then drain and set aside for later.

Add your pasta (1 box of your choice, between 13 - 16 ounces) to a pot of boiling, salted water. Cook until al dente. Reserve a small amount (about ½ cup) of the pasta water before you drain it. I usually forget this step, but I almost never need the pasta water because I like extra lemon juice. But if you'd like things a bit more subtle than me, save the water.

Drain your pasta, toss in a little olive oil to prevent sticking, and set aside for later.

Since I like using as few dishes as possible to cook, I add 4 tablespoons of butter to the same pot I cooked my pasta in. Melt the butter over medium heat, then add 3 minced garlic cloves to the pot. This will smell fantastic after 3-4 minutes, at which point you'll add ½ cup - ⅔ cup lemon juice. The amount of lemon juice is up to you. I personally use ⅔ cup, because I obsess over lemon. I suggest trying it with the ½ cup on your first time, then adding more if you want it. But ½ cup is usually enough for most people.

Whisk to combine, then stir in 1 cup of half-n-half. Confession time: I sometimes use a whole cup of heavy cream. Don't judge me! 

Continue whisking until your cream is warm, then stir in 2 cups of grated parmesan cheese. Use the good stuff, ok peeps? Grate it yourself! Please don't use the fake powder junk here. The taste is 100% not the same, I promise.

Trust me.

Keep whisking until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, about 4-5 minutes. Add some salt and pepper to taste. I also add a bit of lemon zest, about a teaspoon. Tip: If you're using bacon add a bit less salt to the dish, since the bacon will add this element for you.

Top left: Step 1, melting butter
Top right: Step 2, adding garlic
Bottom left: Step 3, lemon juice addition
Bottom center: Step 4, half-n-half addition
Bottom right: Step 5, cheese addition 

If your sauce appears too thick after the cheese is melted, this is the point you can add some of the reserved pasta water. Add only a little bit at a time, whisking after each addition, unit the sauce is the consistency you desire. I have never found this to be necessary, but it's nice to have the option.

To your sauce, stir in about ¾ of the basil you cut chiffonade style during your prep (about 30 fresh leaves). Save the rest of the basil to garnish your final dish.

Chiffonade basil 

Also add the cooked bacon at this point, if you're using it. Then it's just a matter of adding your pasta to the pot, tossing it in all the lemon goodness,  and serving it up! Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a little extra basil for garnish too.

Mmmmmmmmmmm……. so good! I'm a huge lemon fan, so this is one of my favorite dishes ever. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. As always, the standard recipe is below.

Until next time, happy cooking, my friends!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

The Standard Form:

Lemon Basil Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta of your choice

4 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ - ⅔  cup lemon juice (3-4 large lemons)

1 cup half-n-half or heavy cream

2 cups fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

6 slices thick cut bacon (optional)

1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

30 basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions:

Slice the bacon into 1” pieces, and cook in pan until done. Drain and set aside.

Cook the pasta al dente, and reserve ½ cup of the hot pasta water. Drain the pasta. Add a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking, and toss. Set pasta aside.

In the same pot you cooked the pasta in, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook 3-4 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the lemon juice and whisk to combine. Add the half-n-half to the pot. Whisk until hot, then add in the parmesan cheese. Continue whisking until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste, and the lemon zest if desired.

Check the consistency of the sauce. If too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen. Stir in nearly all of the basil, reserving some for garnish. Stir in the bacon, if using. Add the pasta to the pot and toss to coat with the sauce.

Serve in a heated bowl, garnished with extra basil and parmesan cheese.

Pinterest Tested: One Pot Pasta

With such a huge move to deal with, the Hubs and I have not been eating the same way we usually do… i.e., I've not had as much time to cook.

Despite the time constraints, I still wanted to eat delicious food that wasn't strictly from a box or can. Browsing Pinterest (one of my favorite pastimes!), produced a ton of results, many of them these new 'one pot wonders'.

I had to give it a try. 

I used several different pins, combining techniques and using what ingredients I had on hand. The beauty of these recipes is you can literally throw just about anything in the pot! I was inspired mainly by a recipe from Apron Strings… check the link for the original recipe, or use my tweaked version. 

I prefer using fresh ingredients where I can, instead of canned. Granted, this doesn't always happen, but I try. I began with one box of pasta (a flat linguine noodle this time, but you should be able to use any pasta. You may have to adjust your water content and cook time for thicker pastas). 

Place the pasta in a deep, wide skillet. To the pot, I added 2 small shallots (chopped), 1 large bunch of fresh basil (roughly chopped), 1 whole head of garlic (minced), and 2 packages of cherry tomatoes (halved). 

I opted for both red and yellow tomatoes here. Not just for the color, but also for the acidity level. Yellow tomatoes have a much lower acidity, so they can be especially nice for anyone who suffers from heartburn.  

Apron Strings used vegetable broth for the liquid base, but I didn't have any on hand. Instead, I used plain water, which worked great. In the future, I will probably try the veggie broth, but the pasta had plenty of flavor without it. 

Add 4.5 cups water (or broth) to your pot. Partway through heating, I added another ¼ cup of water... I like my pasta saucy. But you can leave yours the way it is, totally up to you. I also added a few dry herbs here as well, a sprinkle of oregano and an additional sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Fair warning, the red pepper definitely added some heat to this dish. If you don't like your meals too spicy, just leave this out. 

Sprinkle in a dash of salt as well, but don't get too heavy-handed. Remember: you can always add more later, but you can't take it away once it's in there. I also added two tablespoons of tomato paste, just to thicken my dish a bit more and bring out that tomatoey taste. 

Bring the pot to a boil. 

You can cover the pot if desired, but I didn't find this to be necessary. Frequently stir and turn your pasta to prevent sticking. I liked using my tongs for this recipe, they made stirring much easier! Boil about 8-10 minutes. 

The water will evaporate, and the starch from the pasta will start to form a sauce. The sauce isn't traditionally thick, so don't expect that. Once your pasta is al dente, and most of the water had evaporated, stir in ½ cup of shredded parmesan cheese. Stir well to combine, until the cheese has melted and incorporated into your sauce.

Then, dish it up and enjoy!! 

The finished pasta

This meal was quick and easy, perfect for those busy weeknights. It's also great for using up all your leftover bits of vegetables too! There are so many add-in possibilities: spinach, bell pepper, broccoli, etc. I'm curious how this would taste with some seafood added to it, maybe shrimp. 

Have you tried a "one pot wonder" before? How did it turn out? Please feel free to comment below with your own experiences… 

I'll be back again soon with more Pinterest Tested. But until then, happy cooking!! 

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Follow me on Facebook @ OurArmyLifeAccordingToTheWife

or on Pinterest, my newest obsession @ ArmyLifeFromTheWife

Email me: armylifefromthewife@gmail.com

The Standard Form:

One Pot Pasta

Ingredients:

1 box of your favorite pasta

2 small shallots, chopped

1 bunch fresh basil, roughly chopped

1 head of garlic, minced

2 packages cherry tomatoes, halved (combination of red and yellow)

4 ¾ cup water (or vegetable broth)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt, to taste

½ fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

To a deep, wide skillet, add all the ingredients except the Parmesan cheese. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Boil 8-10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Stir the Parmesan cheese into the pasta until well-combined. Serve with a side salad and garlic bread.