MAKES: 5 cups (¼ cup per serving) · PREP TIME: 10 minutes · COOK TIME: 40 minutes

When I was a kid, we ate a lot of spaghetti. It was easy, cheap, and on the table in less than 30 minutes. But that also meant that the sauce went straight from the jar, to a pan, to my plate. My mom would always say that she was making homemade spaghetti sauce, and I would joke that the only thing homemade about it was the fact that it was cooked in a home. These days, our family spaghetti nights look a little different. Few things can stir up the warm, fuzzy feelings of home quite like a scratch-made batch of meat sauce. It’s amazing to me what a few simple ingredients and a little slow simmering can do. My favorite thing about making sauces from scratch (aside from how much healthier they are) is that you can customize them to your liking. If you are anything like me, then each batch is sure to include extra garlic.

INGREDIENTS

•1 pound ground beef

•1 small onion, diced (about ½ cup)

•3 cloves garlic, minced

•1½ teaspoons sea salt

•1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes

•1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

•1 bay leaf

•1 teaspoon dried basil

•1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

•1 teaspoon dried parsley

•½ teaspoon garlic powder

•½ teaspoon onion powder

•¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the ground beef, onion, garlic, and salt. Cook, breaking up the ground beef with a spatula, until it is browned, about 8 minutes. Drain the excess grease.

2. Add the tomatoes to the pan and mash them until they are crushed and broken up.

3. Mix in the tomato paste, bay leaf, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes.

4. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.

5. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week. Alternatively, you can freeze it.

tips: You can use fresh herbs in this sauce if you prefer. When substituting fresh herbs for dried herbs in a recipe, a good rule of thumb is that 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs is equal to 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.

This recipe makes a large amount of sauce, making it perfect for meal prep. I like to make a batch and then portion it out and freeze it for later use. It reheats beautifully.

PER SERVING:

CALORIES: 76

FAT: 4.5g

PROTEIN: 4.6g

TOTAL CARBS: 4.1g

FIBER: 0.7g

NET CARBS: 3.4g