Spaghetti with Meat Sauce is a simple and incredibly satisfying dinner.
This recipe is part of our Family Dinner Book Club for the book A Shelter in Our Car by Monica Gunning.
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce is a personal family classic that I grew up eating probably weekly. The ingredients are fairly inexpensive. A pound of pasta can easily feed a large family if you add sides like green beans, salad, and french bread.
It’s one of the easier meals to get kids to eat with no pressure from the parents. You can even add in some shredded carrots or zucchini if you have them on hand to add some veggies to the mix. I grew up with the green canister parmesan cheese, but now I use the real (and expensive) deal. You will never find my fridge devoid of either parmigiano reggiano or pecorino. In my opinion, it is the best pasta topper.
This recipe uses jarred marinara sauce because the intent here is that this is an easy, quick, and inexpensive meal. There are tons of really great jarred pasta sauces on the market, too. You absolutely can make your own if you prefer, and I happen to love my own caramelized onion pasta sauce.
The longer you simmer the meat sauce, the more flavorful it’ll become, so if you have a bit of extra time, start the meat sauce before you start the pasta, so it can simmer the entire time the water is boiling and pasta is cooking. You can swap out the ground beef for ground turkey if that’s more your speed.
As I mentioned above, round out this meal with a nice big loaf of crusty bread, a salad, and a veggie. You’ll have a house full of satisfied bellies in no time.
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 32-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 1 pound spaghetti
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the beef, salt, and spices. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat into bite-sized pieces while cooking. Continue to cook until the meat is browned on all sides, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the jar of marinara sauce to the meat, stir to combine and cover the skillet with a lid. Reduce the heat to low and allow the meat sauce to simmer while the pasta cooks.
- Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and combine with the meat sauce.
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