Course: Sauces

Family Favorite Spaghetti Sauce

The Story:

If you’re like us, spaghetti makes a regular appearance on your dinner table. There are many, many times that I just buy the jarred kind and doctor it up myself. I thought it would be fun to do something a little different this time around because this was our “Back to School” celebration dinner! I always get a little anxious when I make a new recipe from scratch for my family because I never know exactly how it will be received. There have been a few times that I ended up eating things myself because the kids aren’t into it but that was not the case with this sauce! They were actually HUGE fans of it and begged to have leftovers the next night, too.

This is actually a semi-homemade sauce, making it very easy to throw together. I use canned tomatoes a lot in my cooking because they are easy and take out the prep work of chopping all those tomatoes. The tomato paste is a key component in this sauce because it give it that rich, authentic flavor like it’s been cooking all day long. No one has to know it’s only been cooking for a few hours (that can be our little secret).

The Method:

First, chop the onion. On medium heat, saute it in a large pot with the oil until soft and translucent (about 10 mins). Then, add in the minced garlic and cook an additional 2-3 mins.

I like to puree the onions and garlic to give the sauce a smoother texture. You can skip this step if you don’t mind the onions. To puree, add the onions and garlic to a blender with 1 can of tomato sauce and blend until it’s smooth. You can also use an immersion blender here if you have one.

Add the pureed mixture back to pot with all of the remaining ingredients (except the ground beef). Stir the sauce and let it simmer on low for 4 hours. You can add water to the sauce if it gets too thick. The amount of water you add depends on how think you want your sauce.

In the last 30 minutes, prepare the ground beef in a skillet on med-high heat. It should be well done before adding to the sauce. Once it’s cooked, add it to the sauce and stir well to combine. Once the beef is added, the sauce is complete and ready to eat! We enjoy spaghetti several different ways in our house. My kids love it over traditional pasta. Sometimes I like to eat it over veggies like zucchini, broccoli, or cauliflower. I recently toasted a slice of sourdough and topped it with a big scoop of sauce and parmesan cheese. It was incredible!

Notes:

When adding the parmesan cheese, use freshly grated, not the stuff in a can. The fresh kind has a more robust flavor and melts into the cheese better than the alternative.

For the liquid, anything will work. It tends to get thick as it cooks so you might find that you’re adding more liquid towards the middle to end of the cooking time. You might end up adding more than 1/2 cup as well. I add about a cup when I make this recipe.

The key to achieving an authentic tasting sauce is to allow it to simmer for a several hours (4+ hours). If you won’t be home and don’t have time to cook this sauce on the stove top, you can always put it in the crock-pot on low for 4-6 hours. 

Print Recipe
 Family Favorite Spaghetti Sauce
This sauce is thick and bursting with robust flavor. It tastes amazing over pasta or on top of your favorite veggies for a lower carb option.
Course Sauces
Cuisine Italian
Keyword italian, sauce, tomato
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4+ hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Sauces
Cuisine Italian
Keyword italian, sauce, tomato
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4+ hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. First, chop the onion. On medium heat, saute it in a large pot with the oil until soft and translucent (about 10 mins). Then, add in the minced garlic and cook an additional 2-3 mins.
  2. I like to puree the onions and garlic to give the sauce a smoother texture. You can skip this step if you don't mind the onions. To puree, add the onions and garlic to a blender with 1 can of tomato sauce and blend until it's smooth. You can also use an immersion blender here if you have one.
  3. Add the pureed mixture back to pot with all of the remaining ingredients (except the ground beef). Stir the sauce and let it simmer on low for 4 hours. You can add water to the sauce if it gets too thick. The amount of water you add depends on how think you want your sauce.
  4. In the last 30 minutes, prepare the ground beef in a skillet on med-high heat. It should be well done before adding to the sauce. Once it's cooked, add it to the sauce and stir well to combine. Once the beef is added, the sauce is complete and ready to eat!

Easy Peach-Mango Salsa

If you follow me on social media, you know that I’m a sucker for tacos. We have tacos at least once a week in our house. The key to not getting bored with them is mixing up the flavor combos. We use chicken, beef, pork, fish, and sometimes black beans as the protein source. If you missed it, I shared my homemade taco seasoning mix here and you can add it to anything to get that authentic taco flavor. I try to get creative with sauces and salsas to change up the flavors. This peach-mango salsa is the perfect complement to your summer time taco night and pairs well with any protein source you choose. The bold flavor and sweetness will have your taste buds doing a happy dance!

Peaches are currently in season and I recently bought a hefty amount of them at a local roadside stand. These peaches were by far the best I’ve ever had in my entire life! Seriously, I can’t get over it. I guess I’ve only ever bought grocery store peaches and the difference is not even comparable. That being said, I’ve been trying to incorporate them in every meal so they don’t go bad before we eat them.

The inspiration from this easy peach-mango salsa comes from an entree I order from Bonefish Grill. My hubby and I love going there on date-night. I sometimes order the salmon with mango salsa and it blows my mind how well the salsa compliments the fish. I wanted to recreate the taste so I came up with this simple, tangy, delicious peach-mango salsa. With only a few ingredients, you’ll have the perfect pairing for your tacos, tortilla chips, or anything else your heart desires!

Notes:

This recipe is beyond simple. It only requires chopping a few ingredients and adding in your favorite salsa. I used restaurant style salsa because I love the texture. But you can use whatever salsa you want.

Print Recipe
 Easy Peach-Mango Salsa
This peach-mango salsa is the perfect complement to your summer time taco night. The bold flavor and sweetness of the fruit, lime, and cilantro will have your taste buds doing a happy dance.
Course Condiments, Sauces
Cuisine Taco Night
Keyword cilantro, easy, easy recipe, easy salsa, eat move live happy, lime, mango, peach, salsa, sauce, tomato
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Course Condiments, Sauces
Cuisine Taco Night
Keyword cilantro, easy, easy recipe, easy salsa, eat move live happy, lime, mango, peach, salsa, sauce, tomato
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Chop up the peach, mango, tomato and cilantro. Set a pinch of the cilantro aside for garnish.
  2. Place the chopped ingredients in a bowl with 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa and the juice of the 1/4 lime. Stir until combined.
  3. Finish off with a pinch of cilantro and it's ready to eat!
  4. Store any extra salsa in a jar in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce

This sauce is seriously the yummiest, creamiest, most delicious non-cheese sauce my taste buds have ever experienced. I’ll be honest, I’m not opposed to eating dairy at all. I actually love it. But I also love dishes that don’t have it. I’ve experimented with recipes that meet the guidelines of all different ways of eating simply because they sound delicious. This creamy cashew sauce is vegan, paleo, and Whole30 if you’re into that but it’s also just plain delicious if you’re not.

I first started making is sauce about a year ago and the first time I made it, it knocked my socks off. I’ve changed the recipe a little bit and this version is probably my favorite so far.

We’ll start with the garlic. This recipe calls for roasted garlic because raw garlic is a little too overpowering and it’s all you taste. With the roasted garlic, the flavor is there but subtle. The best part is, roasting garlic is super easy! Just lay out a piece of foil, put the whole cloves of garlic on top and drizzle with oil. Wrap it up like a little packet and roast it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 mins. It should be slightly brown and easy to mash when it’s ready. Your house will smell amazing, too.

For the cashews, this recipe calls for them to be soaked. This is as simple as putting them in a glass jar, covering with water, and letting them soak. I soaked mine overnight but even a few hours will do the trick. To tell the truth, I’ve made this with frozen cashews before and it was amazing so you really can’t screw it up! After soaking, drain and rinse them before adding to the food processor/blender.

That’s it for the prep work! The rest of the recipe just has you adding all of the ingredients to the food processor and blending it for about 5 minutes until it’s thick and creamy. After it’s blended, you can warm it up if desired, or eat it room temp. Personally, I like to pour it over spaghetti squash or pasta and just let the heat of that warm it up.

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this recipe after giving it a try!

Print Recipe
 Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce
This thick and creamy cashew sauce tastes delicious on meats, veggies, pasta and more!
Course Sauces
Keyword cashew, eat move live happy, garlic, lemon, sauce
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Course Sauces
Keyword cashew, eat move live happy, garlic, lemon, sauce
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. 1. Drain your cashews and rinse. 2. Add all ingredients to a food processor or high speed blender and blend for about 5 minutes until all of the ingredients are combined. Stop periodically to scrape the sides. You may need to add more milk to reach the desired consistency. It's best when it's thick but still pourable. 3. You may use this sauce right away or store in a jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.