Spaghetti is my favorite hands down. I just love it, my absolute fave. Anyways, here’s a recipe that turns out great every time. Simple, super good; the ultimate comfort food in my book.
Serves 2-3. Time: prep 20 minutes cook 60 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground beef, turkey, meat-type meatless alternative or veggies such as sliced zucchini, mushrooms and red bell pepper
- 1 24-oz jar pasta sauce
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced or through a press
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp parsley, chopped
- 1/4 tsp fennel seed
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp sugar, to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2-3/4 spaghetti noodles
- salt and olive oil for cooking the pasta
- parmesan cheese, fresh basil and fresh parsley for serving
Method
Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a medium-large sauce pan and heat up to medium. Add the meat and/or alternative and cook, stirring occasionally. Add a pinch of salt, minced garlic and continue cooking, stirring frequently until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Add oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, fennel seed, parsley, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, stir and cook about 1 minute. Add the jar of pasta sauce and reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally. The sauce tends to taste better when it cooks longer, but not to the point of sticking to the bottom of the pan.
While the pasta sauce is simmering, bring a pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add the spaghetti. Cook based on package directions to al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water (about 1/2 cup or so) when draining the pasta after it is done. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the drained pasta and toss.
Add the sugar to the spaghetti sauce and a little bit of the pasta water. Sugar cuts the acidity and results in a fabulous sauce. When you are adding the pasta water, consider it alters the texture of the sauce. Add the amount you think would be a nice spaghetti sauce texture. The gluten in the pasta water adds a nice element to the sauce consistency. Next, add salt and pepper to taste. Dish it up with a generous amount of parmesan, chopped fresh basil and parsley, yum!