Mollie's Spaghetti

Every family has their go-to spaghetti recipe, and Mollie’s version is the kind of no-frills meat sauce that gets dinner on the table fast. Ground beef browns in the pan, then canned tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, basil, and a beef-mushroom freezer mix simmer together for just 14 to 20 minutes into a thick, meaty sauce.

The beef-mushroom mix adds a savory depth and earthy flavor that would normally take hours of slow cooking to develop. Combined with the tomato paste (which concentrates the tomato flavor far more than sauce alone), you get a rich-tasting sauce in a fraction of the time.

Seasoning the pasta water with Italian seasoning, oregano, and onion is a small trick that infuses flavor directly into the noodles so every bite tastes seasoned, not just the sauce on top.

Kitchen Tips

• Brown the ground beef thoroughly and drain the fat before adding the sauce ingredients. Greasy sauce coats the tongue and dulls the tomato flavor
• Stir the sauce often during simmering. Tomato paste scorches easily on the bottom of the pan
• Cook the noodles in generously salted water. The seasoning in the water should taste like the ocean
• Save a cup of starchy pasta water before draining. A splash mixed into the sauce helps it cling to the noodles

Variations

• Add a diced green pepper and onion to the browning beef for a more vegetable-loaded sauce
• Stir in red pepper flakes for a spicy arrabbiata-style kick
• Use Italian sausage instead of ground beef for a richer, more herbaceous sauce