Quickie spaghetti

My mother always cooked from scratch – pie crusts and spaghetti sauce included. For spaghetti, she would blend crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, onions, peppers and various spices to make a delicious meal. I appreciate the longer method, but I often need to pull dinner together much faster. This recipe gives prepared spaghetti sauce a richer flavor, but with much less time.

Cream of mushroom soup is an addition I learned from my wonderful mother-in-law. It makes the sauce creamier and cuts the acidity of the tomatoes.

For Quickie Spaghetti, you’ll need:

1 pound ground chuck
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
10.5 ounce can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce (my newest favorite is Red Gold brand; I used the 26 ounce can)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons white sugar
8 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained

In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil, then add the garlic.

Add the ground chuck and brown meat over medium heat.

Skim off fat, then add the prepared spaghetti sauce and the cream of mushroom soup.

Blend the mixture completely…

…then add oregano, red pepper, parsley, black pepper and sugar.

The additional spices pump up the flavor of the prepared sauce and the mushroom soup gives the sauce a creamier finish. Cook the sauce for about 20 minutes. Cook spaghetti noodles for about 10 minutes (about 8 minutes for thin spaghetti, my preference); drain and serve with sauce and grated Parmesan cheese.

This is a popular dish at our house, with plenty of leftover sauce for other dishes.