Quick and Delicious Spaghetti Sauce

My grandmother and mother make the most delicious spaghetti sauce. Their sauce is made from fresh ingredients and simmers all day. The house smelled so wonderful when they made homemade tomato sauce. The complex scent would waft thorough the house and out the door — fragrant and inviting. The stovetop would be splattered with tiny drops and droplets. My reward for not sneaking a taste was a generous taste ladled on piece of bread (and eaten near the pot). Wonderful childhood memories.

As a young working professional, I would crave this comfort food from home but I lacked the time to make them from scratch. So, I created a short cut method for semi-homemade tomato sauce. By using a jarred sauce as a base, you can cut cooking time significantly (and many prepared sauces are very tasty). I like the Classico brand since it isn’t too sweet or salty.

Serve with a hearty green salad and bread. You and your dinner mates will wipe the plates clean with the bread!!

Semi-homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

45 minutes

Feeds 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 package sliced button or baby portabella mushrooms (8 ounces)

1 jar spaghetti sauce (26 ounces)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, basil or oregano

Pasta – such as penne, angel hair, vermicelli (3 to 4 ounces per person for a main dish)

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Parsley or basil (optional)

Preparation

1. Chop onion into small pieces. Mince the garlic cloves into tiny bits.

2. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil for minute on high. Lower heat to medium, add onions and cook for 4 minutes stirring every 30 seconds until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Add the jar of spaghetti sauce to the vegetable mixture, stir in the spices and garlic powder if you didn’t use garlic cloves. Mix well and reduce heat to simmer for 10 – 20 minutes, to allow flavors to meld.

3. Follow the directions on the pasta package to prepare the pasta. After pasta is cooked and drained; place pasta in a large serving bowl. Ladle the spaghetti sauce over the pasta and serve in individual bowls or plates with optional Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley or basil.

Notes: For a heartier sauce, add leftover vegetables or tofu to the simmering sauce. For a spicier sauce add ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes when you add the other spices.

Leftover sauce can for frozen for future use (makes a wonderful pizza sauce).

Photo credit: SPAGHETTI 2 © Roberto Marinello | Dreamstime.com