Doctor It Up: Spaghetti Sauce
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There’s nothing wrong with a jar of store-bought spaghetti sauce. There are dozens of brands at your local grocery store and all of them have different flavor profiles and can be delicious on their own.
But sometimes I find jarred spaghetti sauce a little lacking. That’s why I like to “doctor it up” (I’m pretty sure that’s what my Mom and Dad called it, so that’s what we’re going with).
This may sound intimidating, but it requires no PhD and is very simple (otherwise I wouldn’t do it).
You will need:
One to two jars of your favorite brand of spaghetti sauce
Olive Oil
Dried oregano and basil
You may also use one or more of the following additions:
One carrot, grated
Four mushrooms, diced
1/2 one medium-sized onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Parmesan cheese rind (you don’t have to wait until the parmesan cheese is gone, just cut off the rind if you like!)
1/2 lb - 1 lb Ground beef or ground Italian sausage
1/2 lb - 1 lb steak (chuck roast or similar)
Red pepper flakes
A splash of wine
A bay leaf
A red bell pepper
The photo above is when I used this method the last time - the same sauce seen on my spaghetti and meatballs recipe.
This is what I did:
I started by putting about a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan, heating it up under medium-high heat, and adding some basil and oregano (a teaspoon or so of each) until the herbs were sizzling and fragrant (about 30 seconds or so).
Then I added a grated carrot and four diced mushrooms, a pinch of salt and pepper, and sautéed them until they were soft, about 3-5 minutes.
After that, I added a splash of wine, and stirred the veggies to make sure any browned bits were scraped up from the bottom.
Then I added the jarred spaghetti sauce and a parmesan cheese rind.
I prepared the sauce and set it to a simmer before starting my pasta and meatballs, which probably took 30 - 45 minutes to prepare. The longer the better with spaghetti sauce - let those flavors meld together! Just make sure to stir it every 10 minutes or so. Because spaghetti sauce can be prone to burning, especially if there’s chunky bits like veggies or meat in it, I use a heat diffuser like this to keep the heat extra low. If using a parmesan rind, stir a little more frequently as that cheese will melt and stick to the bottom of the pan.
That’s all there is to doctoring up your favorite spaghetti sauce! What’s your favorite pasta, and how do you like your sauce? Tell me in the comments!
