I call this recipe my “Weeknight Meat Sauce” because it’s a quick sauce that I can make for my family on a week night. Why a week night? We all know that with the trials of life during a busy work week can mean that we have to make some quick meals. As a part-time worker and mostly “housewife”, I find that I get more time than most. But there are nights when I need to throw something together quickly. (The leftovers, if there are any, heat up really well too.)
Now, I’ll preface this recipe by saying that I don’t use a whole lot of measurements for it. Kind of eyeball it and use your own judgement. It’s a “spaghetti” sauce, so there is no wrong answer here. Make it what you want and to your family’s taste.
Let’s gather some ingredients …
- 2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce. (We use Ragu Homestyle sauces; since Emily is partial to their Old World Style Traditional sauce. I feel that the Homestyle sauce is a little more adult friendly. I recommend the Homestyle Thick & Hearty Traditional, Homestyle Thick & Hearty Tomato Basil, and Homestyle Thick & Hearty Roasted Garlic.)
- 1 – 1.5 lbs. of ground beef. (I have also added a lb of sausage as well, but the more meat you add the more sauce you’ll need. You can also use ground turkey.)
- Seasonings … Italian Seasoning, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder … whatever spices you want
What’s my process?
- I start of my browning the meat in a large saute pan on medium high heat. (I use a 10″ high walled pan, you can use all different sizes but make sure you have enough room for everything. This is a one pot sauce.)
- Drain the meat.
- Side note … you can leave some of the grease/fat in the pan (just a little) and possibly add some minced garlic or onion to the pan. Cook that off a little before adding the meat back to the pan.
- Add the meat back to the pan.
- Empty jars of sauce into the pan, over the meat. Stir together.
- Add any seasonings that you want to the sauce. (Like I said before, eyeball it … taste the sauce … and you can always add more.)
- Bring sauce to a low boil.
- Turn heat to low and simmer the sauce.
- I usually simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, while I’m making the pasta. So timing wise, it’s from the time that the water start to boil through the cooking process of the pasta.
- Ladle/spoon sauce over your favorite pasta. We’re thin spaghetti or penne fans in our house.
If you’re looking for ideas for sides … we usually make garlic bread (New York Bakery Texas Toast with Real Garlic) … you could also do meatballs, salad, or your favorite veggies. The sky’s the limit!
Enjoy and let me know what you think of the recipe.
(*** I am in no way being paid for this recipe or the mention of Ragu or New York Bakery. They are just two brands that we really love in our house, so I highly recommend them. ***)