Quick, Easy Spaghetti Sauce with Flavorful Surprises

Like most people these days, I keep pretty busy, and since I'm not a hobby chef, I cook to avoid the high calorie choices of restaurants and fast food eateries. I cook to make something tasty without taking more than roughly 30 minutes to make. I like really good spaghetti sauce on really good pasta. But regardless of the pasta in the end, the sauce is the make or break for me.

That being said, I know there are other terrific sauce recipes out there, but I'm thinking in terms of ease, time and flavor. The trick is that so much of the work is already done because you're using store bought sauce as a base.

This recipe is easy to do, and takes about 20 minutes to throw in a pot. It's chunky and full of meat and surprises. It's best to let simmer for at least an hour, and even better if you put it in the fridge overnight and put it on to simmer and serve the next day.

Ingredients:

2 cans cheap spaghetti sauce, (about 24 oz each. Doesn't have to be exact.)

2 cans basil/oregano stewed tomatoes (or something Italian-like), 14 oz cans

1 can tomato paste (about 3 or 4 oz)

1-2 small cans sliced olives (or use a large can of unsliced olives, either slicing or smashing them (smashing them releases more flavor).

1-2 small cans mushrooms, or 8 oz fresh, sliced mushrooms

1 container of artichoke hearts drained from liquid (about a 24 oz container)

1 large red, green or yellow pepper, chopped.

1 small onion, chopped

1 lb extra lean ground beef

3-4 mild italian sausages

3-4 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

As a side note, you could add extra seasonings of your choice, including adding fresh crushed garlic. However, add sparingly since the tomato sauce base, stewed tomatoes, and meat are all seasoned. Work with the flavor, and let it develop. Add only if you really think something is missing.

In a saucepan, boil water and add Italian sausage. Rolling boil 7 minutes. Once the sausages are in the water, start browning the hamburger as described below:

In a large frying pan, add worcestershire sauce, hamburger, onions and brown the hamburger. When sausages are done, chop into bite sized pieces and add to the hamburger and finish browning.

In a medium to large kettle on medium heat, add all the other ingredients. They can be added all at the same time. (Remember, this is a bachelor cooking, so I'm eyeing the clock the whole time.)

Mix ingredients using a wooden spoon (my personal preference), but don't over stir.

Stir in hamburger/sausages into kettle mixture. Make sure you have a lid to cover the kettle. The flavor isn't as intense if you leave the kettle uncovered. DO NOT bring sauce to a rolling boil. As it approaches a boil, lower heat to lowest setting, stirring one more time, and let simmer for an hour.

Now leave the lid alone, go away, and go make the pasta or salad or garlic bread or something. Or get on the computer and tell me if you liked this recipe. It's the first one I've ever attempted to post in public!

For pasta, you can use any that you like, but I also recommend some of the newer plant-based pastas, such as kelp pasta. You can usually find it in a healthier type of grocer, or online. To add a little variety, try something different than spaghetti. Choices might include angel hair and even rigatoni. A friend of mine says rigatoni is best because there's more sauce in the tubular pasta.

As I mentioned at the first, if you plan ahead, this sauce is actually more flavorful if you let it simmer one hour, then let it cool, put it in the fridge and reheat and serve the next day.

Serves anywhere from 5 to 8 servings, depending on how many bachelors are in the crowd. And if you have leftovers, put the remaining sauce (without pasta) in a freezer container and reheat when you're ready to enjoy more.

Recipes: "Rant and Rave Lasagna," "Quick and Fabulous Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup," "Pumpkin Waffles for the Holidays."

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