The Bear Spaghetti Tomato Meat Sauce (Printable Version)
Rustic spaghetti with rich tomato meat sauce, aromatic herbs, and perfectly cooked pasta for a comforting Italian-American meal.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 14 oz dried spaghetti
→ Sauce Base
02 - 2 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
04 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 1 lb ground beef
06 - 1 tsp dried oregano
07 - 1 tsp dried basil
08 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
09 - 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
10 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
11 - 1 tsp sugar
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
→ To Serve
13 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
14 - Fresh basil leaves for garnish
15 - Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
# How To Make It:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
03 - Add the ground beef to the skillet. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
04 - Stir in the oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes. Add the tomato paste, cooking for 1 minute to deepen the flavor.
05 - Pour in the crushed tomatoes and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens.
06 - Toss the drained spaghetti with the sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed to reach desired consistency. Serve hot, topped with grated Parmesan, fresh basil, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if desired.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The sauce develops this incredible depth from slowly caramelizing the onions first, a trick I learned after years of rushing this step
- That pinch of sugar completely transforms canned tomatoes into something that tastes like summer in a jar
02 -
- The sauce needs at least twenty minutes of uncovered simmering to thicken properly, anything less and it will be too thin to cling to the pasta
- That reserved pasta water is not optional, it is the difference between sauce that coats every strand and sauce that slides off into a puddle at the bottom of your plate
03 -
- Salt your pasta water aggressively, it is the only chance to season the actual noodles themselves
- Grate your own Parmesan, the pre-grated stuff has coatings that prevent it from melting properly