If you watched our most recent vlog, you’re familiar with how our Saturdays look. For me, the weekend means getting organized for the week ahead. This always includes the groceries and weekly meal prepping for the fam. We’ve got a lot of people to feed. We’ve got four hungry kids, plus Dave and I are constantly fueling our bodies with nutritious, healthy meals and snacks. All that to say, I get it if you’re feeling the overwhelm of a full house and hungry humans. You and me both, sister! Having make-ahead dinners already done and easy to whip out at a moments notice is a GOD SEND, y’all. Here is one of my favorite recipes that I know will come in handy. You may recognize it from my Real Life Dinners cookbook! It’s my dad’s tried and true spaghetti sauce and makes enough for you to save!! All you will have to do is just cook the spaghetti noodles when the time comes- so easy!
1. Mix together all the dried spices and set them aside.
2. Place a large stockpot over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Brown the meat breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon as you cook it.
3. When the meat is browned, add the minced garlic, diced onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook just until the veggies begin to soften, 4-5 minutes. Then add the mixture of spices, and cook stirring for another minute before adding the diced tomatoes, and beef broth.
4. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a bare simmer. Simmer the sauce to blend the flavors, stirring occasionally for about 1 1/2 hours. Add additional liquid (beef broth), only if needed.
5. For the best flavor, let the sauce sit overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
6. This makes enough for 3 pounds of spaghetti, so you can also divide it into 3 freezer safe containers and freeze for later use.
Dad's Spaghetti Sauce
May 1, 2020Daddy has all kinds of good dishes but his most famous creation is the spaghetti sauce he’s spent years perfecting. He made me promise to tell you that you should feel free to add a dash of this or a little of that and test different variations until you find your favorite.
Serving Size12 servings Prep Time20 minutes Cook Time2 hours Total Time2 hours, 20 minutes 
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef and Italian sausage - 50/50 mix
- 12 ounce can diced tomatoes 1 - 32 box beef broth
- 2 Tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 Tablespoons dried basil
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 large onion (finely diced)
- 1 red bell pepper (finely diced) 2 stalks celery (finely diced)
Instructions
- 1. Mix together all the dried spices and set them aside.
- 2. Place a large stockpot over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Brown the meat breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon as you cook it.
- 3. When the meat is browned, add the minced garlic, diced onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook just until the veggies begin to soften, 4-5 minutes. Then add the mixture of spices, and cook stirring for another minute before adding the diced tomatoes, and beef broth.
- 4. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a bare simmer. Simmer the sauce to blend the flavors, stirring occasionally for about 1 1⁄2 hours. Add additional liquid, (beef broth) only if needed.
- 5. For the best flavor, let the sauce sit overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- 6. This makes enough for 3 pounds of spaghetti, so you can also divide it into 3 freezer safe containers and freeze for later use.
Dad's Spaghetti Sauce
Daddy has all kinds of good dishes but his most famous creation is the spaghetti sauce he’s spent years perfecting. He made me promise to tell you that you should feel free to add a dash of this or a little of that and test different variations until you find your favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef and Italian sausage - 50/50 mix
- 12 ounce can diced tomatoes 1 - 32 box beef broth
- 2 Tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 Tablespoons dried basil
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1⁄4 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 large onion (finely diced)
- 1 red bell pepper (finely diced) 2 stalks celery (finely diced)
Instructions
- 1. Mix together all the dried spices and set them aside.
- 2. Place a large stockpot over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Brown the meat breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon as you cook it.
- 3. When the meat is browned, add the minced garlic, diced onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook just until the veggies begin to soften, 4-5 minutes. Then add the mixture of spices, and cook stirring for another minute before adding the diced tomatoes, and beef broth.
- 4. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a bare simmer. Simmer the sauce to blend the flavors, stirring occasionally for about 1 1⁄2 hours. Add additional liquid, (beef broth) only if needed.
- 5. For the best flavor, let the sauce sit overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- 6. This makes enough for 3 pounds of spaghetti, so you can also divide it into 3 freezer safe containers and freeze for later use.
If you want to see more recipes and what we’ve been eating, let me know at @msrachelhollis on Instagram!
