Mom's Spaghetti Sauce...

This is how my Mom made Spaghetti Sauce when we didn't have fresh tomatoes from the garden.  We had a massive garden when I was growing up and Dad grew tomatoes, peppers and basil. Dad was an organic gardener in the 70's.  We had so many tomatoes and peppers that we would be able to process sauce at the end of the season that would take over our freezer downstairs.  It. was. awesome.  I have fond memories of putting the cooked sauce through the food mill and cranking that contraption until we had gallons of sauce.  Mom would use that instead of the canned sauce as it was not thick enough on its own.  I do remember asking my Dad the silliest question when I had a garden of my own.  He laughed when I asked how much water you add to the tomatoes when starting to make the tomato sauce.  Of course you add none, tomatoes are mostly water.

Spaghetti Sauce with Meat

½ lb. ground beef

1 diced onion

1 clove garlic, pressed

6 oz. can tomato paste

15 oz. can tomato sauce

¾ t. Italian seasoning

½ t. basil

½ t. salt, optional

Brown the ground beef in a skillet until no pink remains.  Add onion and garlic and continue to sauté until the onions are transparent.  Remove from heat and mix in the tomato paste.  Transfer the mixture to a saucepan.  Stir in the Tomato Sauce.  Heat to boil over medium high heat; reduce the heat and simmer over low heat.  Add seasonings and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.  Serve over hot cooked noodles.  Serves 4.