Pasta!

Spaghetti anyone?

Seriously, spaghetti is like my go to meal. It is quick and easy and I am sure I have made it different just about every single time. I always use fresh herbs (or dried) when I run into the issue where I thought I had something in the fridge and didn't. I always keep dried herbs and seasoning in my cabinet.

This spaghetti tonight, I actually used a jar of spaghetti sauce, a can of tomato puree, fresh parsley (I always use italian flat leaf), dried oregano, onion and garlic.

Spaghetti with meat sauce

I use tomato puree as it is much thicker than tomato sauce. I like my sauce a little on the thicker side to nicely coat my pasta. Another rule of thumb, never add oil to pasta when boiling. You want the sauce to stick to your pasta, not slide off. I know you think I have to add it so my pasta will not stick while cooking. Well, I never add oil and my pasta does not stick together. You just have to make sure you stir it (I usually use a fork for spaghetti, angel hair, linguine pasta). Once I drain it, I add about a tablespoon of a non cooking olive oil. One that you would use for dressings/dipping as it is much thicker and taste great.

I use beef, just brown it up and once done, I add my garlic, onions and herbs and cook for another minute or two. I then add my sauce and just let it simmer. I add just a little salt and about a teaspoon of sugar just to cut the acid of the tomatoes, not too much sugar that the sauce it sweet, unless you prefer it that way.