Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Spaghetti with meat sauce is one of my never fail go-to meals. It is especially great to make on a Sunday to have leftovers for Monday. My goal in life is to never have to worry about cooking on a Monday, so Sunday dinners have to be abundant with plenty left for a possible packed lunch the next day, as well as dinner.

A few years ago, after using the jarred tomato / spaghetti sauces and never really being satisfied with the flavor, I decided to make my own. And I will never go back, this is way too easy and way too good!

I almost had to limit seconds with this batch this past Sunday, it came out extra good -- my family loved it!

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground beef {or turkey!}

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1/2 cup diced green pepper

3 15 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes

3 ounces tomato paste {half of a 6 ounce can}

1/4 cup beef broth

1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano

4 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning {basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, parsley}

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons seasoning salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

{Your key players!}

{Dice your onion and peppers, you want them to be relatively small.}

{Over a medium low heat, saute in olive oil until they are tender and translucent.}

{Before they start to brown, add your garlic. Fresh cloves would probably be best, but I can't stand the smell of fresh garlic, so I use the jarred stuff. :)}

{Let the onion, peppers and garlic cook together for a minute or two.}

{Before adding the beef {or turkey} to the pan, I like to chop it up some. It makes it easier to break up once in the pan.}

{Add your beef or turkey and mix in / crumble up with the peppers and onion.}

{Once the meat starts to brown, add your first round of seasonings. You want to add half of your spices. 1 teaspoon each of: salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and seasoning salt. }

{Mix the spices in well and let the meat continue to cook through.}

{Next, add your tomato paste.}

{Mix in well with your meat.}

{After adding the tomato paste, add in the beef broth to de-glaze the pan. As it bubbles away, scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.}

{Your meat will be rich and delicious already!}

{But we are not done. :) Add your cans of crushed tomatoes.}

{After adding your crushed tomatoes, add in your second round of seasoning + the dried herbs.}

{Mix in the herbs and spices then add the sugar.}

{Let your meat sauce simmer {covered} over a low flame for about an hour. Your house will smell AMAZING as it bubbles away. AMAZING!}

{After an hour {or longer}, your sauce will be thick, rich and so so so SO GOOD!}

{Serve with al dente spaghetti and ENJOY!}

I also made buttery skillet cornbread {recipe coming soon!} and served with cucumbers & blue cheese dressing.

This meal reminded me of my mom making spaghetti and cornbread for us when were were coming up. And now I am making it for my family. Now that is something to smile about. :)

xoxo, thanks for reading!