Homemade Spaghetti Sauce (My Favorite!)

Spaghetti is my absolutely, most favorite meal hands down. However, I will rarely order it when we are at an Italian restaurant. Why? Because I am spoiled and grew up with a homemade sauce. I have yet to find a spaghetti sauce that is mass produced that competes with my mom's recipe. I love that in addition to be so tasty it is also so versatile.

The Basic Ingredients:

1 can of stewed tomatoes (though I hope to one day can my own)

1 can tomato soup

1/4 of a large onion

Basil

Oregano

Chile Powder

(I don't have exact measurements for the herbs and spices because I just eyeball it according to taste)

Ingredients That Can be Added:

Hamburger ( I usually put just a little bit in)

Zucchini

Carrot Slivers (using my potato peeler)

Mushrooms

Bell Peppers

Garlic

Small Spoonful of Sugar (to balance the acid)

If I'm using hamburger I will brown it with my onions and throw in my zucchini and/or bell peppers as soon as they are cut up. Then I just mix the rest together and let it all simmer for a 10-20 minutes depending on time.

I myself LOVE the texture of a chunkier sauce however for those that don't or have picky eaters who "don't like" vegetables you could easily throw this sauce into the blender to make it look and feel like a store bought sauce.

I don't always put the extra vegetables in. It will often depend on what is on sale at the store, what is in my fridge, and what we are having the rest of the week. I love though that I can get so many different vegetables into one meal.

In the fall I also like to substitute my wheat noodles with Spaghetti Squash. Once again I like the texture of the squash. I don't know that I could eat it on its own but slathered in sauce and it is divine. It's a healthy substitution and adds variety to this meal. The hardest part is cutting it (you might need a chainsaw) with a hot dog cut, meaning longways. However, once you've cut it in half all you have to do is place it with the open sides facing down in a 9 x 13 glass pan. Fill the pan 1/3 - 1/2 of the way with water and put it into your oven for 30 min at 400 degrees. When you pull it out all you have to do is scrape your fork through it and whalaa... noodles.

Do you have any special ingredients you add to your sauce?

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