Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

Oh Man I just drool looking at this picture. My mom makes the best spaghetti sauce.  The flavors all melt together and it really is a joy to eat. The trick is to make it early and let the flavors meld together all day long. 

I made it for dinner last night and it was a hit! There wasn't much left, which, with with kids age 2 & under, says a lot. 

See... this girl really loved it!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp of olive oil (or spray)

1 lb ground beef (I use extra lean)

1 large onion - chopped

5 garlic cloves (minced)

1 tbsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried basil

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp paprika

1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1-16 oz can diced tomatoes

1-8 oz can tomato sauce

1/2 cup red wine (I typically use Cabernet Sauvignon) 

8 oz sliced mushrooms

Favorite Noodles

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef and drain. Set aside in a large pot. (I use a dutch oven or crock pot). 

2. Saute onions, garlic and mushrooms for about 5 minutes. Add that to the beef in the pot. 

3. Stir in parsley, basil, oregano, paprika and cook for a minute or so. 

4. Add the tomatoes, sauce and wine. 

5. Let simmer for a few hours. I usually make this as early as possible so that it can really simmer together all day long. 

To Double the recipe (which I recommend): instead of 2 cans of tomato sauce, use 1 can of tomato sauce and 1 small (4 oz) can of tomato paste. I also omit the extra can to diced tomatoes as well. Other than those changes, I double everything else. 

When you are ready to eat, just cook the noodles and pour the sauce over them. I always garnish with some Pecorino or Parmesan cheese and have some bread on the side. 

I hope that you enjoy this as much as we do!

KK