Elle’s food blog and recipes: spaghetti

I notice that I have to be in the mood to make spaghetti. I know that my family likes to make it as a last minute meal. It’s an easy enough meal to make if you buy premade sauce. I wanted to challenge myself by making the sauce from scratch; I also was just craving homemade spaghetti. So enjoy this very tomato-tasting dish.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground meat like beef, lamb, turkey, and chicken
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup water, broth, or red wine
½ tsp dried oregano
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste (add more than needed)
Handful fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
12 ounces spaghetti or any favorite pasta
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions:

To make the sauce-
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat (I used a Dutch oven). Add the meat and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. As the meat cooks, use a wooden spoon to break it up into smaller pieces.
Add the onions and cook until softened, they should look clear. This should take about 5 minutes
Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir for 1 minute
Pour in the water or any of the substitutes and use the wooden spoon to scrape the sides because the onion and meat will stick to the side. Stir in the tomatoes, ¾ tsp salt and a generous pinch of black pepper. Bring the sauce to a low simmer. Cook, uncovered at low for 25 minutes.

As it cooks, taste the sauce to make sure it has enough seasonings

To make the spaghetti –
About 15 minutes before the sauce is finished, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Then cook the pasta according to the box instructions.

To finish –
Take the sauce off the heat, and then stir in the basil. Toss in the noodles and then leave for a minute to let the sauce soak into the noodles. Serve with parmesan cheese.