The Hungry Apple

Forgive me, I couldn’t resist the title with the S’s and all.

Spaghetti is my ultimate comfort food. It always makes me feel cozy. The smell of it cooking, the taste and the way it sticks to your ribs, all leave me feeling satisfied.

 Sometimes I hear from people that they don’t have a good homemade spaghetti recipe so they just brown ground beef and add a jar of sauce. Well that changes today! This isn’t much more difficult than opening that jar and it is so much tastier!

On this chilly night I took the opportunity to drink the bottle of wine that I brought back with us from our trip to Portland  It was as good as I remembered! Maybe better!

The sauce line up:  Celery salt is the not-so-secret ingredient.

Some people don’t like mushrooms but I am a  fungi fanatic!

Tomato paste thickens things up but can sometimes be difficult to get out of the can. To combat this problem I open both ends of the can and just push it from one side to the other.

I love sampling spaghetti sauce while it cooks and ever since I was young this has always been fun to do using a measuring cup. I have no idea why but I don’t question it.  Don’t skip this step.                    I’m watching you.

Do you mix your spaghetti together with the pasta or eat it with the sauce on top of the pasta? Our house is 50/50. I like the sauce on top of the pasta so I get a good amount of sauce with each bite.

Since I am not much of a baker I usually take help in that department. Alexia all natural frozen products help with my shortcoming. Have you tried their garlic bread? It is simple and has a great crust as well as a soft chewy interior.  It comes in a twin pack so it works out if you don’t want to use it all at one time. Alexia also makes great bake-able fries and onion rings. Check them out! Disclosure: Alexia has no idea who I am 😦 I just really like their products.

Top with freshly grated Parmesan!

P.S. This spaghetti is great the next day too!

Sara’s Simple Spaghetti

A Hungry Apple Original

Serves 4-5

Ingredients: 

1 pound lean ground beef (you could also use turkey)

1 small onion, finely diced

1 8 oz package mushrooms (i used button) (optional)

1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

1 cup water

2 small beef bouillon cubes

2 tsp garlic powder (or 3 cloves minced garlic)

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp sea salt + more for seasoning pasta water

1/2 tsp celery salt

15 grinds fresh pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 pound pasta of your choice, i use wheat angel hair

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions and directions: 

In a large skillet or saucepan brown the lean ground been with the onion. The meat should be lean enough that you don’t have to drain the fat. When the meat is no longer pink add the mushrooms and cook until they have lost their their water content or 5-7 minutes. Add the ingredients from tomatoes through red pepper flakes. Stir ingredients until well combined and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile heat a large pot of water for pasta and season liberally with salt. Boil pasta according to package directions or until al dente.

Top (or toss) pasta with sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese.