Faster, Better, Spaghetti & Meat Sauce
The fastest weeknight spaghetti method. No boiling water or colander needed.
I developed this 25 min spaghetti and meat sauce to use one pot and have more flavor than longer, intensive recipes. Check out my video walk through if you want a visual guide.
Brian Lagerstrom
Ingredients
Meat & aromatics
- 80/20 ground beef450 g1 lb
- hot italian sausages225 g2 links
- onions200 g1
- garlic, minced4 cloves
- salt, a sprinkle
Sauce Base
- crushed tomatoes800 g1 28oz can
- water800 g
- tomato paste75 g
- dried oregano1 ga sprinkle
- red pepper flakes1 ga sprinkle
- beef bouillon paste15 ga spoonful
- sugar8 ga spoonful
- fresh basil, chopped10 ga handful
Pasta & Garnishes
- spaghetti340 g12 oz package
- parmesan, grated50 g+ extra for garnish
- saltto taste
Method
Step 1: Brown the meat & aromatics
Heat a dutch oven or large heavy bottomed pot over medium high. Add a bit of oil, the ground beef, and sausage, breaking the meat apart into small pieces as it cooks - I use a meat smasher for this.
When the meat begins to and is well broken down, stir in the onion, garlic, and a sprinkle of salt, making sure to scrape up any meat fond stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cover and for 5 minutes.
Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 425°F/220°C.
Step 2: Add the sauce base
After 5 minutes of , stir in oregano, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste and cook for a minute or so until tomato paste is well incorporated.
Stir in bouillon and the crushed tomatoes, water, salt, sugar and bring to a simmer.
Step 3: Cook the spaghetti noodles in the sauce
In batches of 15-20 noodles at a time, break the spaghetti strands in half so they fit into the pot. These will cook right in the sauce.
Stir in the basil. Add in the spaghetti and gently stir and press down to submerge noodles. for about 60 seconds.
Carefully stir noodles again to fully submerge noodles. Transfer the pot to the preheated oven to bake uncovered for 16-18 minutes, gently stirring and submerging at 5 and 10 minutes into cooking.
Step 4: Adjust & serve
Taste for doneness and seasoning and adjust if necessary. Stir in grated parmesan.
Garnish with additional parmesan. Enjoy.
FAQ
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