I've made Spaghetti Sauce from scratch.  It was delicious, but it was also time consuming.  My family is big on pasta.  Since we eat Spaghetti about once a week I had to find a better way.  This is the better way!  It's also very college friendly and budget friendly.  Enjoy!

Anytime you're making pasta for dinner, your first step is to get your water on the stove to boil.  There's no sadness like having a pot full of spaghetti sauce ready to eat and you're still waiting for your water to boil.

Remember those bags of frozen hamburger?  Get one out, defrost it and brown it in a skillet.  Mine is 3/4 pound but meat lovers will love a whole pound or more.  I know how to drain the fat off hamburger meat without a strainer (that dirties a dish, and dishes are a pain).  After browning, if there is some fat in the bottom, scrape all the meat to one side, drop in a paper towel and then tilt the pan to the empty side and sop it up with a paper towel.  If the paper towel gets saturated just get another.  Then use your spoon to scrape the paper towel around the bottom of your pan.  No more grease!  Then throw it away, it's not an ingredient in our recipe.



You know how regular canned sauces are watery?  I hate it when there is a pool of tomato water until my pasta.  This ingredient will fix that problem and change your sauce woes forever.  Add one can (6 ounces) of tomato paste.  Mix it around (it will be paste-y) and let it cook for a minute.


If you're doing it right, your toddler will look like this.  Todders know when you are less than 20 minutes from dinnertime and usually decide starvation has come for them.  Resist to urge to feed it!  Don't look into those sweet eyes!  Focus on cooking!  Hang on, little buddy!


Next, add one can of spaghetti sauce.  Both Hunts and Del Monte are good, I have Hunts since I bought 24 cans at a Smith's Case lot sale.  Your pasta water is probably boiling about now so add your pasta in your pot of boiling water (not in the tomato sauce!) and let it boil.  The Spaghetti sauce can simmer on low heat until your pasta is done.  I usually cover it with a lid.

 How about some bread sticks with that?  Check out my fancy bread.

Yes, it's hot dog buns.  Whenever we have hot dogs inevitably my kids want it bun-less.  We always have leftover buns.  I just throw them in the freezer and wait until Spaghetti night.  This recipe also works perfectly with a loaf of french bread cut in half lengthwise. No waste here!


Jason made up this recipe and we love it.  You'll need butter (preferably at room temperature), Garlic Salt, Parmesan Cheese and Oregano.  I once tried fancy, grated, fresh Parmesan Cheese for this recipe and it wasn't as good.  The kind you see in the picture works great.  Save your money and go with this stuff.


Butter your "bread sticks", sprinkle on Garlic Salt, then Parmesan Cheese, and then Oregano.  It's not a science.  Just imagine yourself eating it and that's how much you put on.  If it's too bland, next time add more garlic salt.  If it's too salty, next time add less garlic salt.  Channel the inner scientist in you and experiment to find out what your family likes.

Then broil it either in a toaster oven or in a real oven for 2-5 minutes.  Don't walk away!  Watch it closely!  Don't answer the door!  Set a timer!  It can go from pale to "call a fireman" in a minute.  You'll want it golden brown, like this:

I put it on a paper towel to keep it from getting soggy while it's warm.  Serve your pasta, Spaghetti meat sauce and garlic bread with a side salad and some steamed vegetables.  So easy!

Since your toddler didn't starve to death, he can join you for dinner.  This is what a happy, well fed toddler will look like after surviving those last 20 minutes.

You may not know it, but many of you ate this sauce when we stayed in the house in St. George for Summer and Stuart's wedding.  I doubled it and made two loaves of french bread into garlic bread.  I even brought frozen hamburger with us to cook.  You all liked it!  This recipe is great for a Harper crowd.

No toddlers were harmed in the making of this recipe.

Mary's Spaghetti Sauce
Serves 6-8
1 pound dried spaghetti
3/4 - 1 pound ground beef
1 can tomato paste, 6 ounces
1 can Spaghetti Sauce, 15 ounces

1. Start a pot of water boiling for your pasta.
2. On high heat, brown your ground beef.  Drain (or use your paper towel to sop it up).
3. Lower the heat to medium or medium high.  Add tomato paste and mix well.  Let cook for 1 minute.  Be careful that it doesn't burn.
4. Add spaghetti sauce and let simmer, covered, on low heat until pasta is ready.

Jason's Garlic Bread
Hot Dog buns, or French Bread, or whatever leftover bread you have
Butter, at room temperature
Garlic Salt
Parmesan Cheese
Dried Oregano

1. Lay out your bread on a cookie sheet covered with foil (for easier clean up!).
2. Spread with butter.
3. Sprinkle with garlic salt, parmesan cheese and oregano, to taste.
4. Broil for 2-5 minutes (my oven takes about 3 minutes, my toaster oven takes 5) until golden brown and delicious.