Special Occasion Spaghetti
I think that any form of spaghetti is a special food. Not in the elegant style of lobster or crème brulee but still a dish that is broadly pleasing and a fine foundation for a healthy dinner.
When I was juggling parenting and a corporate career, spaghetti was a life saver. Get a good organic sauce, brown a pound of meat, and serve on whole wheat pasta with a pre-washed salad. Done! A healthy, family-pleasing dinner that can be on the table almost as quickly as a fast food run. (Tip: use two jars for a healthier sauce/meat ratio and to make sure you have enough time-saving leftovers for a second meal)
Despite the success of this dish, I did notice something interesting. As happy as my kids were eating my pragmatic spaghetti, they really got excited when we went to Grandma’s.
Grandma makes one of those sauces that cooks for hours, which she got from an old friend. It was the kind of recipe that spreads in a group like wildfire. So with my schedule a little more open now, it was a recipe I had to have.
Although there are a lot of ingredients, the recipe is really quite easy to make–the hardest part is planning ahead to allow for the cooking time!
Now that I have more time to cook, easy spaghetti is still a big part of my repertoire–time crunches never end! But when time permits, there’s nothing like indulgence!
Special Occasion Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb Italian sausage
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cans tomato paste
- 4 cans water
- 1 T sugar
- 2 T dried parsley
- 1 28 oz can tomatoes (use diced tomatoes or crush in blender)
- 1 t salt
- ¼ t black pepper
- 1 T Worcestershire sauce
- 3-6 drops Tabasco
- 2 t oregano
- 2 t basil
- 1 bay leaf
Directions
1. Brown 1 lb ground beef and ½ lb Italian sausage.
2. Heat olive oil and cook onion and garlic until slightly golden .
3. Add remaining ingredients. Cook for 4 hours.
4. Serve over spaghetti or the pasta of your choice.
I can’t wait to try this! I love simmered sauce. And the photos are great! What kind of camera did you get?
I got the Canon EOS Rebel T4i with 18-135mm EF-S IS STM Lens. They are closing it out, so the price was good. It sure has a lot of options–it will definitely keep me busy!
Mmmm, your occasional spaghetti looks good, Inger. (I say that even as a non-meat lover, because meat still looks–and tastes good–sometimes.) Possibly it’s time to have spaghetti again!
You know I was thinking that non-meat eaters would probably just need to add some of the Italian sausage seasonings, like fennel, to achieve the same effect.
Sounds like a winning recipe!
Thanks Beth!
There is something so wholesome and delicious about spaghetti that does make it constantly special 🙂
Your photos look beautiful!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks! I just got a new camera and have a lot to learn on it, but it’s already making the photography easier.
I shall never tire of this meal.
I agree–and the leftovers are just as good!
i can eat spaghetti any time of the day and at any event….hehe.
it’s nice to see how you made a simple pasta dish so special 🙂
It’s been fun to learn from the comments that spaghetti isn’t just popular with us!
Ooh, this does look like spaghetti for a special occasion!
One of the benefits of blogging I guess–needing to post can count as a special occasion 😉
Looks good. Grandma’s recipes are always tasty!
Aren’t they!
One of my favorite (in-between jarred and homemade) sauces is to adulterate a jar of organic marinara sauce with things such as marinated artichoke hearts, spinach, roasted red peppers, red wine, garlic, onions, etc. However I do want to try from-scratch pasta sauce one of these days.
What a great idea–I think my middle daughter would especially like the artichoke hearts!