Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

I wanted to make something simple for dinner that could simmer on the stove while I was out of the house doing errands. I grabbed some turkey Italian sausages and mushrooms from the refrigerator and decided to make a simple meat sauce for spaghetti. This sauce is extremely easy to make and your house will smell amazing while it simmers on the stove. This sauce was a big hit with my entire family and tasted fantastic with the homemade bread sticks my kids and I made. I threw the leftover sauce in a freezer zip lock bag and put it in the freezer for later use - it freezes really well.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 3 links of turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 1 tsp of fennel seeds, crushed
• 1/2 tsp of dried oregano
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes and juices
• 1 14 oz can of tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 3-4 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• Whole wheat spaghetti, cooked per instructions
• Asiago cheese, grated

Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the turkey Italian sausage, casings removed; break up the meat until in crumbles. Add the onion, red bell pepper and mushrooms then cook for 4-5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, stirring constantly for 60 seconds. Add the basil, fennel, oregano, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix to combine well then add the sugar, tomato sauce and whole tomatoes and their juice (crush the tomatoes with your hands - be careful not to squirt their juice on your clothes).

Cover the sauce with a lid and simmer the sauce on low for 3-4 hours. When you are ready to eat, prepare the spaghetti per instructions. Taste the meat sauce and re-season if needed. Add the fresh basil and parsley, stir and serve over your favorite pasta. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net