Ready, Spaghetti! Two Recipes For You

We're having spaghetti tonight. I made the sauce last night so tonight I'll just have to boil noodles and toss some frozen garlic bread in the oven. Until the Hubby came along, I only used spaghetti sauce from a jar. But he had his own recipe that he preferred to the jarred variety and he won me over by cooking it for me. In fact, this was our first meal as a married couple! Gradually, I took over the cooking of it :)

Hubby Spaghetti

1.5-2 lb of lean ground beef, browned (depends on how meaty you like it)
1 large jar of tomato juice (46oz)
1 small can of tomato paste with basil and garlic
2 tsp of garlic powder
2 tsp of oregano
2 tsp of dried basil
salt and pepper

Combine tomato juice and tomato paste over low heat until paste is blended in with the juice. Add the seasonings and very carefully add the cooked ground beef. Cook on medium to high heat until sauce begins to bubble. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for an hour or more. The longer it cooks, the thicker it gets.

Minda's Tip: Add more seasonings if you like!

Hubby also brought to this union a copy of The Sopranos Family Cookbook which has a marinara recipe that I absolutely love.

Sopranos Marinara

2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
4 basil leaves, torn

In skillet, cook the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until brown. Be prepared for a wonderful smelling kitchen. Add the tomatoes and season with salt if desired. Bring to a simmer and cook stirring frequently until the sauce is thick, about 20 minutes. Stir in the torn basil leaves. Serve over pasta or with meatballs (my fave!) You will not believe how yummy this simple recipe is. Trust me!