Sometimes all you want is a simple spaghetti! However, if you are my boyfriend, you tend to be very, very picky about the sauce, how it’s made, and especially how it tastes. He does not like any store bought sauce. I guess peoples of Italian descent feel the same. And now I have been schooled in the ways of sauces!
The following recipe is a Bolognese Meat Sauce via the boy’s mom with a little bit of my own addition and experimentation.
- 1 Large Can of Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Small Can of Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Small Can of Tomato Paste
- 2 Pounds (give or take) of Ground Beef
- Half a Very Large Onion
- 3 Sticks of Celery
- A Handful of Baby Carrots
- A Handful of Baby Portobello Mushrooms
- Wheat Pasta
- Cayenne Pepper
- Crushed Chili Flakes,
- Sweet Basil
It does take quite a long time for the sauce to stew. So if you’re planning on having it for dinner, I would recommend starting it around or after lunch so it can brew and stew and get into a lot of yum.
First, dice up all the onion, celery, and carrots.
The mushrooms I left a little chunkier and less dice-e-er.
If you don’t like a particular item in this list, you can totally substitute whatever veggie you want! It will still be yum. I just happen to super love onions so I put a lot of that in.
Next in a very large pot, I add about 1/3th cup of Olive Oil. Give or take. And put in a lot of garlic. I just rampantly throw it in cuz I loves the garlic, but if you don’t, you can use less.
Let that badboy cook and get all scented garlicly in yo face, yo!
Throw in the diced veggies (except the mushes) and let it cook for about 10 minutes or until the onions start to get clear.
Now throw in the mushes!
Cook for 3-5 minutes, until they’ve soaked in some of the juices.
Then we throw in the meat! ALL at once, oh yeah, bebe, just like that!
Also add the basil and a dash of the spices.
When the meat is about 75% cooked, and looks like this, throw in the tomato cans, minus the cans!
Mix it around for a while and let it cook on a low heat for about an hour. Stir occassionaly. This if my favorite part cuz it requires little attention.
After an hour, turn off the heat and mix. Allow it to sit there until it’s time for dinner! It will still be warm, but if you want it hotter, turn the heat to low and let it get hotter.
So when dinner comes around, time to make zee pasta!
Boil water, add salt, add pasta!
The salt will help keep the pasta from sticking together while cooking. No fancy salt is needed, regular girl with umbrella in the rain salt shall do!
Next, dump the pasta into some cold water and strain it. Wash the salt off good. (:
Put in a bowl and pour a little olive oil onto it. The olive oil will keep the pasta from sticking together while it sits on the counter, in your refigerator, tummy, loved one.
Plate, bowl, and serve!
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