Ingredients: |
Ingredients: For a large group:
4 lbs hamburger meat, 90/10 or 80/20
2 medium onions, chopped small
5 cloves garlic, smashed or minced
Spices:
1 handful (about 2 T) dry oregano
1 smaller handful (1.5 T) basil
1 smaller handful (1.5 T) Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper (I substitute Garlic Salt for about half the salt)
Tomatoes:
2 cans diced tomatoes, plain or garlic flavor
3 small cans tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
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Directions: |
Directions:is is an easy recipe that can easily be adapted for your own tastes. I tend to like a strong basil and tomato flavor, but feel free to change proportions as you like.
In a large skillet, heat about 2 T olive oil and add onions. Saute until they are translucent, then add the garlic. Stir garlic for just a minute to heat through, then add the four pounds of hamburger. Using hamburger with lower fat content will make the meat a little harder to crumble, and I generally prefer the 80/20 mix. Browning the hamburger meat, keep breaking clumps in small pieces. Once all meat is thoroughly browned, quickly drain the meat mixture in a colander to pour off any fat. Return meat to skillet, salt and pepper heavily and heat through.
To this mixture, add spices and stir continuously until well incorporated. Add tomatoes, sauce and paste and stir thoroughly, then add about two large cans of water to the mix. I add the water to the largest can and then keep pouring in the other cans to get as much tomato flavor as possible.
Cover and let the sauce cook for at least 30 minutes on medium or 3 hours on low, longer is better. The goal is to reduce the tomatoes until they are soft and the flavors really meld together. To speed up the process, you can blend the diced tomatoes into a puree and cook together leaving the lid slightly ajar to cook off the water and make the sauce thicker. i keep tasting the sauce and even add more spices during the process if I don't think they are strong enough.
Your grandfather follows this same recipe (more or less) but then adds a sprinkle of brown sugar as his secret ingredient. He's also been known to use cinnamon.... |
This recipe for JOYCE'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE RECIPE is from