Hearty Spicy Spaghetti Sauce

A working pantry sauce, not a Sunday-gravy project. This one comes together in about 25 minutes from canned tomato sauce and dried herbs, with a slug of red wine for depth and a pinch of dried chili for heat.

The recipe is built to use whatever cooked meat you have on hand. Leftover roast beef, shredded pork, even rotisserie chicken all work because the meat goes in already cooked and just needs to warm through and pick up flavor from the sauce.

Sauté the onion and garlic until just softened, then dump everything else in at once. The five-minute simmer is the minimum, but if you’ve got 20 minutes the sauce gets noticeably rounder and the dried herbs bloom more fully. Stir often so the bottom doesn’t catch.

Toss with hot pasta straight out of the water and you’re plated in under half an hour.

Pro Tips

• Use a dry red wine like Chianti or Sangiovese, sweet wine throws the balance off.
• Crush dried basil and oregano between your palms before adding to wake up their oils.
• Taste before salting, canned tomato sauce often has plenty already.
• If you have time, simmer 20 minutes instead of 5 for a deeper, more developed sauce.

Variations

• Brown raw ground beef at the start instead of using cooked meat, drain the fat before adding the sauce.
• Swap the chili pepper for a tablespoon of harissa for a smokier heat.
• Stir in a handful of sliced mushrooms with the onions for a meatier, earthier sauce.