spaghetti recipe
In just 15 minutes, you can have a warm, satisfying meal with this easy Spaghetti recipe, perfect for colder seasons. For a full meal, serve with a side salad or steamed vegetables and savor every bite!
Ingredients
Spaghetti and meat sauce
- 130 grams chopped onion
- 1 pound lean ground meat like beef, turkey, chicken or lamb
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup water, broth or dry red wine
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Handful fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
- 12 ounces dried spaghetti or favorite pasta shape
Optional ingredients
- Pinch sugar
- 3 anchovy fillets, minced with some of their oil or use anchovy paste
- 1 leftover rind from a wedge of parmesan
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
Instructions
Make Sauce
- To start, heat up the oil on medium-high heat in a sizable pot, like a Dutch oven. Add the meat and cook for approximately 8 minutes or until it turns brown. While cooking the meat, use a wooden spoon to break it up into smaller crumbles.
- Next, add the onions and cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become softened
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook the mixture for about 1 minute, making sure to stir it continuously.
- Add water to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape any meat or onion residue stuck to the bottom. Combine the tomatoes, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and a generous pinch of black pepper, and stir everything together. Allow the sauce to come to a gentle simmer and cook, without a lid, for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. As it cooks, sample the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Cook spaghetti
- Approximately 15 minutes prior to finishing the sauce, heat a generously salted large pot of water to boiling point. Proceed to cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package, but ensure to test for doneness a minute or two earlier than the recommended cooking time.
To finish
- Remove the sauce from the heat and add the basil. Mix in the cooked pasta and let it sit for a minute to absorb some of the sauce. Toss the pasta again and sprinkle with parmesan before serving.