Homemade Spaghetti Sauce!

A few weekends ago I made some homemade spaghetti sauce that my friend Caitlin makes that is supposedly "Ah-maze-ing!". And it was!! It makes a ton and I have lots left in the freezer that I'm planning on using to make baked ziti one night! Here's the recipe straight from the source herself:


Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
Medium onion
3-4 garlic cloves
1lb of ground beef 
2 links of Italian sausage (I like to use one hot and one mild. Depends on if you like spicy or not)
4 cans of tomato paste (6 oz) 
1 can of tomato sauce (8 oz) 
(I use hunts for both)
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper
pinch of sugar 

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion(diced small). Season it with a little salt. Let that cook for about 2 minutes and then add the garlic(diced small). Let that cook for about 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook until browned. My mom pours out the grease but I leave it in :) now here's the tricky part. Add the 4 cans of tomato paste and 2 cans of water for each can. Then add the can of tomato sauce and can of water. Add all the spices. Bring it to a boil and then simmer on low heat covered for about 2 hours. Voila! 

Y'all this sauce was seriously yummy! Funny story, I didn't get basil at the store because my mom said she had some...she DID NOT! So I texted Caitlin and said okay I left the basil out because we don't have any, she FLIPPED on me and ordered me straight to the store to get basil! Glad she did because it really did need it! My daddy even approved of it and he's one picky tough critic! I did use lean ground beef and instead of italian sausage {said tough critic doesn't do spicy} I used beef smoked sausage. It was still good and unlike Caitlin, I drained the grease! :)

The recipe was super easy and didn't really take that long! Make it on Sunday and if you're a real italian lover you could use it all week to make meals! :) If not, then freeze it use it later!

xoxo,

SamanthaDiane