I love spaghetti. It used to be my very favorite meal. I was even known by close relatives as 'The Pasta Queen.' Yep. That's right. Pasta. Queen. It's still on the short list of my faves. This recipe is something that has evolved over the years. I started out just eating spaghetti sauce out of the jar. Then I got into "doctoring it up" and the rest is history.
Amy's Weeknight Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb. ground turkey or beef
1 large can traditional tomato sauce (I use Hunt's)
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt, pepper, and Tony's to taste
1 tbsp. butter
*Brown the ground meat in a frying pan large enough to hold all of the sauce. Drain off fat. Pour can of tomato sauce over the meat. Add parsley, basil, and oregano. The measurements I've listed for these are approximate. I don't really measure them. I sort of think of it like this: if you were dating these herbs, at the end of the date you'd politely say thanks for the date to the oregano, quickly running inside; kiss the basil, giddily dreaming about him for days; and have breakfast with the parsley. (Side note: I said that to my intern the other day when telling her how to make my chicken soup and she didn't laugh. She didn't even crack a smile...until I told her it was supposed to be a joke...sometimes I wonder about my sense of humor.) Stir in some salt, pepper, and Tony's. Wait. You don't know what Tony's is? Hold the phone. Tony Chachere's is a creole seasoning mix. If you don't have any, *go get it*. It's great on everything. *Everything.* Let the sauce bubble away for a minute or two. Taste. If it's too acidic, add the pat of butter. That'll mellow it out. Serve over spaghetti noodles. Add some parmesan, if you'd like. Enjoy!
