Spaghetti Sauce (or Lasagna Sauce)

Spaghetti is Brenda’s all-time favorite food that she makes for herself.

That’s a big statement considering everything that she’s known for making.

Today, Brenda’s sharing her favorite Spaghetti Sauce recipe with us. Simple, flavorful, and the perfect paring to some al dente noodles.

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Spaghetti Sauce (or Lasagna Sauce)

In a skillet heated to medium, brown:

1/2 lb ground beef

Drain fat. Season with:

Garlic salt

Seasoned salt

Set aside.

In a large pot, sauté:

1 tsp oil

1/2 cup onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Once translucent, stir in:

1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed

3/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed

3/4 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp seasoned salt

Bring to low boil, add:

1/2 lb ground beef, cooked

Let simmer. Stir periodically.

Optional: serve hot over cooked spaghetti noodles with grated cheddar cheese.

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Brenda’s tips:

• Serving Size: 4 servings

• Brenda loves watching the tomatoes reduce and the herbs permeate the sauce. Brenda prefers to allow the sauce to simmer 4-6 hours.

• This sauce is perfect for lasagna.

• Brenda sources her beef in pound packages so generally will brown the entire pound and freeze half for another meal.

Creamy Garlic Sauce

Brenda makes this creamy garlic sauce for pretty much any savory dish that needs a boost: pasta, gnocchi, veggies, chicken, pizza, beef, rice…the sky is the limit!

Scroll to the Brenda’s Tips section to learn how to turn this recipe into a soup.

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Creamy Garlic Sauce

Make a roux:

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp flour

Cook for 2-4 minutes on medium heat.

Whisking continuously, add:

1 cup milk

Once smooth, also add:

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp parsley

1 oz cream cheese

1 Tbsp parmesan cheese

Simmer.

Once thickened, cook an additional 1-2 minutes.

Serve hot.

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Brenda’s tips:

• Serving Size: makes about 1 cup.

• Roux? Sounds complex? Nope. Heat a skillet. Add butter and flour. Start whisking. The butter will melt and whisking will incorporate the flour. Once smooth let it bubble for at least a minute - to cook the flour - and longer will develop flavor. Eventually it can burn so keep stirring but don’t let it darken too much.

• And once you add milk you now have a béchamel. Brenda’s mom always called it a white sauce.

• Brenda makes this creamy garlic sauce for pretty much any savory dish that needs a boost: pasta, veggies, chicken, pizza, beef, rice .... thin it out with a little more milk, cook the roux longer for deeper flavor, or even make a small batch to thicken soup.