Recipe: One-Pot Fresh Spaghetti Sauce
This easy recipe freezes well for make-ahead meals. Just leave out the meat and pour cooled sauce into freeze-safe bags to save it. This is a great way to use tomatoes that are plentiful in gardens and at farmers markets.
It goes great on spaghetti squash or with zucchini fritters – or whatever you enjoy with a delicious, fresh-focused red sauce.
One-Pot Fresh Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh ground beef or mild Italian pork sausage
- 1 clove fresh garlic, crushed
- 3-4 baby Bella fresh mushrooms, sliced (white mushrooms are fine as a substitute)
- 3-4 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped (or you can use 1 14-ounce can of crushed tomatoes)
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup fresh sweet basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped Italian parsley (you can used dried herbs if fresh are not handy)
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- Brown meat and drain fat. Omit this step if preparing sauce for freezing/to make ahead.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well, stirring while flavors combine.
- Once warm and uniformly mixed, season with salt and pepper.
- Add cheese last.
- If freezing, let sauce come to room temperature and then bag and freeze. You can prepare meat for the sauce when you reheat it, if you wish.
- Serving suggestion: Prior to preparing sauce, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut a spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise, and rub inside with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until flesh is fork-tender. You can prepare the sauce while the squash is baking.
- Enjoy!
