Spaghetti Sauce Confessions

(I am calling dibbs on Spaghetti Sauce Confessions if I ever do a food blog :)

It has only been a week since I posted last about my lovely anniversary but with the Thanksgiving Holiday and the Black Friday all-nighter I pulled I feel like it was a month ago! Due to how busy we were my cooking and cleaning totally took a back seat. Yesterday I had an "aggressive laundry campaign" (I always say that because thats what Mikey said one day) and today for the first time in a while I went to the grocery store and got food to make some of my favorite meals!

I figured I would jump back into our normal routine with a nice big spaghetti dinner.

Now some people are not going to like what I am about to say, so brace yourself. Your grandma's spaghetti sauce recipe is not special. (unless of course you are one of my siblings or cousins, because in that case your grandma's sauce IS the best sauce in the world :) In fact I bet it is almost identical to my grandma's sauce. It seems everyone with even a touch of Italian in them claims their grandma's sauce is the best in the world. Well I believe you... YOU think it IS the best in the world. Taste and smell as most know is excellent for recollecting memories. It reminds you of your grandma's cooking, or your mom's cooking.

The truth is that almost every sauce recipe I have ever found online has very basic ingredients.

• Tomato paste
• Water
• Sugar
• Basil
• Oregano
• Garlic Salt
• Onion Salt

Now I will add my own personal note that if you do not cook raw meat in your sauce it is not nearly as good as it could be. I make a point to always make my meatballs and literally throw in the raw balls of meat into the sauce. The meat flavor gives the sauce an extra kick. I have, on very seldom occasion been to lazy to make the meatballs and I can 100% tell a difference.

Now another small note on spaghetti is the noodles. I am going to take a moment to complain about the fact that growing up, almost always my mother made spaghetti with penne noodles. I think I hate penne noodles now. I never use them. Spaghetti IS a noodle. You need to be able to twirl your fork and pick up a delicious pile of noodles and sauce.

I will share the specifics of this recipe but its all taste. I add as I go along and taste the sauce regularly, if it needs something more I add it in.

• 4 12oz cans of tomato paste (I use Contadina with Italian Herbs)
• 2.5 cans of water per can of sauce. (I use slightly less for thicker sauce, again you will have to find what works for you)
• 1 Tbs Sugar
• 1 Tbs Garlic Salt
• 1 tsp Onion Salt
• 1 Tbs Basil
• 1 Tbs Oregano

Let this simmer on low for 4 hours. Remember to give it a good stir every 30 min. or so.

Meatballs

• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 3/4 c. bread crumbs (if you have plain thats fine but if you are shopping for them I would just get Italian seasoned)
• 1/2 c. romano/parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbs Oregano
• 1 Tbs Basil
• 1 tsp Garlic salt
• 1 tsp Onion salt
• 2 eggs

You are going to combined all ingredients in a bowl and really mix together. Your best option is to take your rings off and really get your hands dirty and mix the meat by hand. Make golfball sized meatballs and add the raw meat directly into your sauce.

Now whats great about this sauce is it makes a ton! I will usually make a big batch on sunday and then sometime during the week make chicken parm. and still have some left over for a quick last min. meal.

Bonus - Your house will smell AMAZING... like really really really amazing. Reminds me of my mom's house :)

(sauce is still simmering at time of publishing - will post pic later!)