Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Cheer, Cheer, The Gang’s All Here! Congratulations to the Arizona State University Baseball Team and their 22nd appearance in the College World Series! My work-study job in college was working as a tutor for members of the baseball team. It was more directing than tutoring but at the end of the day everyone was legally eligible to play! We won the NCAA Championship one year and were the NCAA runner up the second. Both years that I attended the CWS we were in the winners bracket, which meant we did not play till evening and had time during the day to travel around town and try new eateries. I drove up since I was heading home to North Dakota for the summer after the series. Having a car there made getting around much easier! A favorite for lunch was Spaghetti Works in Old Market Omaha. The restaurant is a converted loading dock and served the salad out of the back of a Model-T truck. The food is great and it is All-You-Care-To-Eat!

Today’s recipe is converted from a favorite spaghetti sauce recipe. I added more garlic for flavor. Blending naturally thickens the sauce. Enjoy!


SPAGHETTI AND MEAT SAUCE
Serves 6

1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 C. water
14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
6-oz. can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 lb. ground beef
2 links sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
13.5-oz. pkg. whole grain thin spaghetti
5-oz. pkg. Parmesan cheese, finely shredded

Stir together oregano, sugar, salt, pepper, bay leaf, water, tomatoes and tomato paste in a non-stick, 4-qt. saucepan. Pour oil into a non-stick, 3-qt. chef's pan. Stir in onion, green pepper and garlic. Sauté on medium till firm tender. Add to tomato mixture. Cover and simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Blend the sauce with an electric hand blender till smooth and thick.

While the sauce is simmering, brown the ground beef and sausage in a non-stick, 3-qt. chef's pan, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Drain. Stir meat into the sauce. Cover and simmer 20 minutes longer.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Serve hot, topping each serving with meat sauce and Parmesan cheese.