Grandma's Spaghetti

Do you have one of those dishes that just screams comfort food and instantly takes you back to your childhood with the very first bite you take? I have several, but one of my all time favorites, hands down, is my Grandma's spaghetti. Out of all of the spaghetti dishes I have ever had, restaurants included, my Grandma's is by far the best I have ever tasted. Unfortunately, my Grams passed this last February, but luckily, I was privy to get copies of some of her best recipes before it was too late and they were gone with her. In my opinion, passing down food recipes from generation to generation is a great way to share a bit of family history with children and keep those earlier generations forever alive in spirit. This one's for you Grams- miss you SO much!!!

I have to say that my Grandma was one of those fabulous old-school cooks who never measured anything, so sometimes her recipes are hard to follow, to say the least. I am not sure there were every actually real recipes for some of her best dishes, but rather she wrote down her best guesses of what she did and how much she put into it. The spaghetti recipe that follows is more than likely a prime example of that...

I had tried to make my Grandma's spaghetti before, but regardless of how I tried, it never turned out like hers. It was still tasty, just not to the same caliber of her beloved pasta that was a family favorite for all. I think I may have figured out the missing link this time around, and I somehow suspect that I had a little extra, albeit unseen, help in the kitchen this past weekend when I attempted this dish again. Thanks Grams- it finally worked, and I truly felt like I was at your table all over again.

Here is what you will need to make this delicious spaghetti:

-1/4 cup Crisco
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-1 clove garlic, finely diced
-1 lb ground beef
-1 tsp. garlic salt
-2 tsp. parsley flakes
-1 bay leaf
-1 6-oz can tomato paste
-1 8-oz can tomato sauce
-12 oz water
-2 cups/1 lb canned tomatoes
-1 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. oregano
-1/4 tsp. black pepper
-Dash of basil
-1 lb spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package instructions and drained

In a large skillet, melt Crisco. (This, I believe, is the key to this recipe. Before, I always just used butter, assuming it could not make that much of a difference. Maybe I am wrong, but this time I actually used Crisco, and the recipe was the closest to Grams' that it has ever been by a long shot!) Add onion and diced garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in ground beef and garlic salt; brown. This might sound weird, but that combination of hamburger browning with onion is a delightful smell to me. I would imagine it is the olfactory sensation equivalent of a comfort food to me, but who knows? Either way, I love it when that aroma is floating through our house in the early evening hours.

Next, stir in the tomato paste, the tomato sauce, and the water, using the empty tomato paste can to measure out your 12 ounces of water. Mix well to incorporate. Stir in all of the remaining spices and herbs-parsley, salt, oregano, pepper, basil, and bay leaf.

Cover your skillet and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for another half hour or so, or until your sauce has reached its desired consistency.

Spoon meat sauce over your prepared spaghetti and enjoy! We like to sprinkle our sauce with some good ol' Parmesan cheese, or in the kids' case, A LOTof Parmesan cheese. I was so happy that they all enjoyed this sauce as much as I did as a child. They all ate their ENTIRE meals- Jordan even asked for seconds and Brooklyn quite literally tried to drink the sauce out of her bowl. Another success! Little did they know they were scarfing down all kinds of nutritional goodness from the tomatoes! 

As a note, I have to admit that I, myself, rarely measure things while I am cooking, but have made a more honest attempt to do so since I am now trying to share my recipes with you all. This recipe was followed to a tee, and I would suggest you do the same, even if you're more like me and Grams and just eyeball everything and go more on taste than measuring spoons. The results for this recipe will definitely be more tasty if you follow her guidelines. 

You might be wondering if it is really worth it to make spaghetti sauce from scratch... From a convenience standpoint, the jarred sauces are really pretty decent when you need a quick fix. But if you have the time, I assure you, it is well worth it to make this sauce rather than rely on what Prego or Ragu whipped up in their factory assembly line. You can even make it a few days ahead of time and store it in the fridge, then just reheat it on your busy weeknight for a delicious and comforting end to a long work day.

Best. Spaghetti. Ever.