Back to the Cutting Board

Pam’s Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Back to the Cutting Board

Sauce | Servings: 5-8
Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 1 hour 15 min | Total time: 1 hour 20 min

Ingredients

• 1 lb. thawed ground round beef or ground turkey (optional if you’re not into meat)
• 2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
• 2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
• water
• 1 package McCormick spaghetti sauce mix ^[1] or 2-3 tbsp. corn starch*
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano or 3 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tbsp. dried basil or 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 bay leaf (dried or fresh)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 medium onion, chopped or 1/2 tsp. onion salt
• Salt and pepper, to taste (usually just a dash will do)

* Using the packet, you get a pretty thick sauce (which is how I like it). Using corn starch, I didn’t think it was thick enough and wound up adding another can of tomato paste. If you like thinner sauce, then try halving the amount of corn starch/mix and tomato paste. It does thicken after cooking, but it never gets that much thicker than it is initially, so you can just add a can of paste and a tablespoon of corn starch at a time until it gets to a thickness you like.

Process

1. Cook beef in a skillet over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Drain the grease and transfer the beef to a large pot.
2. Put the skillet back over medium heat (no need to clean the pan out) and cook the onions and garlic (if using) until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, add tomato sauce, tomato paste and the equivalent amount of water (fill up the cans with water after you empty them) to the large pot with the beef.
4. When the onions are cooked add them to the pot along with the sauce mix or corn starch and herbs. Stir well. Bring to boil.
5. Turn to medium-low heat and let simmer for at least an hour (the longer the better). Alternately, you can cook over low heat for 4-6 hours. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

This recipe doubles really well and can also made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen. Just thaw and heat up on the stove. It’s also a great base to have fun with and make your own, like adding in other herbs and mushrooms, red wine or whatever else you want in there.