I was craving meatloaf and Jay was craving spaghetti so I figured spaghetti and meatballs was a fair compromise.
I wanted a simple sauce that tasted delicious and was not too overdone with a whole bunch of dried herbs (since it is winter and my herb garden is covered in snow). I kept the ingredients easy so that I could make it again with ingredients I’d always have on hand, and so that you could easily make it at home too.
Simple Spaghetti Sauce:
4 mini bella mushrooms or 8 button mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can of your favourite pasta sauce (I use Hunts Thick n Rich because I can get it on sale for $1 and it’s quite good – this time, I used the Four Cheese flavour)
1 (796ml) can whole tomatoes
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Saute the onion and mushrooms with butter and olive oil in a heavy pot. Season with salt & pepper. Add the garlic when the onions are light brown. Once the mushrooms and onions and softened and browned, add the pasta sauce. Add the can of tomatoes, crushing the tomatoes by hand. Add the Italian seasoning, bay leaves and balsamic vinegar. Add salt & pepper to your desired taste. Simmer covered on low for 2 hours. Serve with spaghetti & meatballs, sprinkled with fresh parmesan or grana padano cheese. Use leftovers to make meatball sandwiches!
I made the meatballs trying to use up some of my Epicure Selections seasonings; I used the French Onion Dip Mix. Nothing fancy!
Meatballs:
1 kg lean ground beef
2 eggs
1/8 cup Epicure Selections French Onion Dip mix
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Make 12 large meatballs.
Bake at 375F for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
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