Not Again! {Recipe: Italian Spaghetti}

Without fail, if I ask my son what he wants for dinner he says spaghetti. It doesn't matter if we just had it, he will still say that is what he wants. So, it's only fitting that I write up a recipe that he can make when he moves out on his own. I don't usually follow a recipe when I make spaghetti, I just wing it. But because I don't follow a recipe, it doesn't always turn out the same. This is the recipe I use when I want to make sure it turns out; this recipe is consistently good.  It comes from my old Betty Crocker Cookbook that I was given when I was 12. This cookbook is still one of my favorites!

Italian Spaghetti

Recipe adapted from 1974 addition of Betty Crocker's Cookbook.

2 pounds ground turkey or beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste 
2 envelopes (1 1/2 ounces each) Italian style spaghetti sauce mix with mushrooms
2 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
16 ounces package spaghetti
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook and stir ground turkey (or beef) and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except spaghetti and cheese. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring sauce occasionally. 

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Serve meat sauce over hot spaghetti and top with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. 

Serves 8

Note: This recipe can easily be converted to a slow cooker recipe. Just place browned meat and onion mixture into a slow cooker, stir in remaining ingredients except spaghetti and cheese. Cook in slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low. Serve over cooked spaghetti and top with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Enjoy!