This is originally my mother's recipe, and everyone who's ever had it loves it. I've made a few modifications as I've gotten very practiced at making it through the years, so this is my version. It's a great spaghetti sauce, but since it's a meat sauce, it's also good on its own as a non-spicy alternative to chili.
about 3 Tbsps olive oil, or enough to cook onions and beef (the original recipe said 1/4 c. Crisco; I prefer olive oil)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce (the original recipe only used an 8-oz can - I think the right answer is actually somewhere in between; the best sauce I've made is when I make double the recipe, except that I then use one 15-oz can and one 8-oz can!)
2 cups/1 lb. can of diced tomatoes, with the juice
1 to 1 1/2 tsps. salt (I find that using olive oil and kosher salt, I need to add a little salt for taste)
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. basil
1 bay leaf
In a large skillet, Dutch oven, or chili pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until onion is tender. Add garlic, cook 1 minute, just until fragrant. Add ground beef and garlic salt; brown. Once meat is brown, drain/pour off the oil.
Return pan to heat. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, salt, oregano, pepper, basil, and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer (should barely bubble) for an hour. Uncover and cook for another half hour.
If your sauce happens to come out particularly thin - for some reason, sometimes it does, even if I cook it exactly the same way - you can thicken it by adding a few spoonfuls of jarred spaghetti sauce, or by adding a few tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese. (Do NOT use shredded parm - it doesn't "dissolve" into the sauce.) Serve over spaghetti or your favorite pasta (I prefer angel hair or thin spaghetti), cooked according to package directions.
About This Blog
The idea for this blog came from my attempt to improve the variety in my family's evening meal after my second pregnancy, during which I made little or no effort to cook. Since I have two small children, I focused on my easiest recipes to minimize time in the kitchen, and aimed to go at least one whole calendar month without repeating a dinner menu. I did re-use a few side dishes, but I didn't repeat entrees, and I rarely spent more than 30-40 minutes making dinner. Ultimately, I found I could go way beyond one month!
I thought other folks might benefit from my little experiment, so I decided to go ahead and publish "a month of menus," including calendar, menus, recipes*, and notes. I've made some adjustments to my actual calendar to take out nights we ate out, spread out the chicken dishes, etc. (Once I get the first month complete, I may try to post a second month's worth.) I've posted each recipe as a separate posting for ease in searching, and the calendar appears at the bottom of the page. (My apologies that a few recipes are out of order. A blog is a difficult format for this, but it's a heckuva lot easier than a website!)
I hope someone out there will find this information useful! Bon appetit!
*Many of my recipes are from cookbooks or were published in a magazine or on a website. I have done my best to be respectful of copyrights, so in some cases I don't reprint a recipe here, but I point you to the book or link you to the website. I have attributed all other recipes as best I could, but I don't always have the original source noted in my own files. My apologies to anyone who isn't properly credited for a recipe!
I thought other folks might benefit from my little experiment, so I decided to go ahead and publish "a month of menus," including calendar, menus, recipes*, and notes. I've made some adjustments to my actual calendar to take out nights we ate out, spread out the chicken dishes, etc. (Once I get the first month complete, I may try to post a second month's worth.) I've posted each recipe as a separate posting for ease in searching, and the calendar appears at the bottom of the page. (My apologies that a few recipes are out of order. A blog is a difficult format for this, but it's a heckuva lot easier than a website!)
I hope someone out there will find this information useful! Bon appetit!
*Many of my recipes are from cookbooks or were published in a magazine or on a website. I have done my best to be respectful of copyrights, so in some cases I don't reprint a recipe here, but I point you to the book or link you to the website. I have attributed all other recipes as best I could, but I don't always have the original source noted in my own files. My apologies to anyone who isn't properly credited for a recipe!
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