My Grand Kids LOVE spaghetti and ask for it quite often. Generally, I think all kids usually like spaghetti. This recipe is so easy and fast you can have dinner on the table in a pretty short time. It uses a jarred Spaghetti sauce, BUT it really is good.
Spaghetti Sauce
1 1/2 – 2 lbs. Ground Beef
1 Can Hunts Spaghetti Sauce (Whatever flavor you’d like)
1 Jar Marinara (I used Paul Newman’s)
1 Medium Onion, diced
4 Stalks Celery, diced
1 Red or Green Pepper, diced.
1 Tablespoon Garlic, minced
Mushrooms, if desired, chopped
Pinch of Sugar (Taste first though, depending on what kind of sauce I buy, I may or may not use it)
Salt, to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Add other seasonings if desired, such as: Oregano, basil, parsley, etc. (But taste first)
Velvetta Cheese, cubed ( I add a little bit at a time and keep tasting until I have the cheesy taste I’m looking for, so to taste)
In a dutch oven, brown hamburger on medium high heat until no pink remains. Drain the grease and remove the hamburger. In the same pot, melt 1 Tbsp. Butter and 1 Tbsp. Olive oil and saute the onions, celery and pepper cooking until crisp tender. Add the garlic. Cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the sauces and the spices. Bring to a boil, and turn heat down to low. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes or longer, stirring occasionally. Turn heat off, and add the velvetta cheese. Let it sit, covered until all the cheese is melted. (Make sure to taste, to correct seasonings and cheesiness.
Noodles:
Desired amount of Pasta
Water
Olive Oil
Salt
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti noodles in a pot of salted water. (Add enough salt to the water to make it taste like the sea). Bring water to a boil and add spaghetti. Stir to keep the noodles from sticking together. Bring the water back up to a boil. Lower heat slightly (you want to keep a soft boil) and cook and stir occasionally until noodles are al dente. Drain, but do not rinse the spaghetti noodles. In a large serving dish or pot, ladle the sauce over the noodles and stir. Add more sauce as needed to achieve your desired consistency.
Serve with a salad and bread sticks!
Note:
In order to achieve the taste that I’m looking to convey to you, you need to have 1 jar of regular (canned/Jarred) spaghetti sauce and a jar of Marinara Sauce. (Any brand you prefer is fine.)
I realize that a lot of my recipes have “to taste” in the ingredient lists instead of measurements. I believe that in order to achieve the results you are looking for, you need to taste what your cooking and adjust the seasoning to fit you and your families tastes. I promise, it works!
One more tip for you. When cooking pasta & potatoes, you need to add enough salt to make the water you are cooking them in, taste like sea water. Try this and let me know if you don’t find a difference in the taste of the final product. I think you will be pleasantly surprised if you don’t already season your water for these dishes.
