Charlene's Recipe

Spaghetti with meat sauce

Category: Main entree

Serves 12
Complete in 1 hour 30 minutes

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 lb grond beef OR 1/2 lb each of ground beef and ground pork
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cans (28 oz each) crushed tomatoes in puree
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp dried basil, crumbled
1/2 bay leaf
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 black pepper
2 lbs spaghetti

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium low heat. Add onions and garlic; saute 12 minutes or until golden brown. Add meat; brown 5 minutes or unti no longer pink; breakingup with a wooden spoon.
Add wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a bare simmer, cook 1 hour or until thickened.
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until done, firm but tender. Drain well. Remove bay leaf from sauce and discard. Spoon sauce over hot cooked pasta on a large serving platter.

MAKE-AHEAD TIP: Sauce can be made up ahead and refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days, or frozen, tightly sealed up to three months.