Description
Hearty spaghetti with meat sauce delivers pure Italian comfort straight to dinner tables. Robust ground beef, aromatic herbs, and rich tomato base create a classic meal that warms souls and satisfies hungry diners with authentic Mediterranean charm.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat:
- 2 pounds (907 grams) ground chuck
Pasta:
- 1 pound (454 grams) spaghetti
Tomato Products:
- 1 (14.5 ounces / 411 grams) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (28 ounces / 794 grams) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (15 ounces / 425 grams) cans tomato sauce
Vegetables:
- 1 large onion (or 2 medium onions), diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
Oils and Seasonings:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for boiling pasta)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté diced onions and green bell peppers until they soften and become translucent, approximately 5-6 minutes.
- Add minced garlic to the vegetable mixture and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, releasing its aromatic essence.
- Introduce ground chuck to the skillet, breaking it into small crumbles while browning completely. Eliminate excess fat by draining.
- Sprinkle an array of seasonings including garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, basil, Italian herbs, oregano, sea salt, and black pepper. Thoroughly coat the meat with these flavor enhancers.
- Pour diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and tomato sauce into the skillet. Blend ingredients uniformly, creating a rich and robust sauce.
- Reduce heat to low, allowing the sauce to simmer and develop deep flavors for approximately 60 minutes. Stir periodically to prevent sauce from sticking.
- Simultaneously, boil water in a separate pot. Add a splash of olive oil to prevent pasta from clumping.
- Cook spaghetti until it reaches al dente texture, typically 8-9 minutes. Drain pasta thoroughly.
- Combine spaghetti with meat sauce or layer sauce atop pasta. Optional: Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese or chopped parsley for added zest.
Notes
- Always dice vegetables uniformly to ensure even cooking and consistent texture throughout the sauce.
- Control meat browning by using high heat initially, then reducing to prevent burning while developing rich caramelized flavors.
- Simmer sauce low and slow to allow herbs and spices to meld, creating deeper, more complex taste profiles.
- Consider adding a splash of red wine during simmering to enhance the sauce’s depth and provide subtle complexity.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 447 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 686 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 33 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg