Spaghetti Sauce with a Peanut

Due to the much needed rain, we had spaghetti tonight instead of hamburgers. Weather permitting, we will have the burgers tomorrow. I just thought I would share my spaghetti recipe, as my thoughts on homemade spaghetti sauce are the same as the pizza sauce. So here it is...



Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
1/2 - 1 lb. ground meat (I use beef, but you can use turkey, spicy sausage--whatever you prefer)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste (I usually use two cans tomato sauce, but this is what I had on hand)
1-2 cups of water (depends on how thick you like your sauce)
1 can mushrooms, stems and pieces
3 cloves minced garlic (no, we don't kiss in this household) :)
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat and break into pieces and add onions while browning meat. Drain off fat and add remaining ingredients, except for garlic. Note-depending on the intensity of the garlic flavor you prefer, add it at the beginning of your cooking if you want a milder flavor, or shortly before serving if you prefer a more intense flavor. Let simmer 10-15 minutes prior to adding in pasta that has been cooked al dente.

We served ours tonight with steamed broccoli and the Mediterranean Herbed Bread from the Betty Crocker cookbook.

As a side note, even the Peanut appreciates her broccoli...

...she even gave us several smiles through dinner...


...hopefully this attitude towards vegetables continues.