Being a good parent is about balancing your many responsibilities. In the world of work-life balance, dinner is a very important time in the day. Dinner is often one of the few times the entire family can come together and enjoy time together. At the same time, you also need to balance your child’s nutrition, teach them table manners, and maybe even convince them to love healthy food. Home cooked meals are not only the most budget-friendly option, they also give you the best control over what you’re eating with your children.
Of course, not everyone automatically knows how to cook good food from scratch. Maybe your parents didn’t cook at home or you’ve only taught yourself a few recipes so far. Many young parents realize they need a complete child-friendly menu of recipes. Spaghetti and (meat) sauce is one of the staples of home cooking because it is incredibly easy, delicious, and healthy. And it’s a great way to get vegetables into your toddler disguised as chunky sauce.
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce from Scratch
Homemade spaghetti is a go-to family meal that kids will happily slurp up. Knowing how to throw together a great dish of spaghetti can serve you well in so many situations that you’ll be amazed how easy it is to make. Yes, even with fresh tomatoes instead of that jar of Prego in the back of your fridge.
What You’ll Need
- Dry Pasta – Spaghetti or Angel Hair
- Two to Four Large Ripe Tomatoes (chilled)
- One Onion
- Two Cloves of Garlic
- 1/2 Pound of Ground Beef
- Black Pepper
- Salt
- Oregano
- Basil
- Extra Veg (to taste)
- Parmesan and/or Mozzarella Cheese
- Olive Oil
The Chop-Up
Start a pot of water on the stove to boil and salt it lightly, then pull out your cutting board and prepare to chop your vegetables. Start by using a sharp paring knife to cut the stems out of your tomatoes, as this is the only part you don’t want to eat. Peel the tomatoes carefully, then dice them into small pieces. Scrape the tomatoes off your cutting board into a bowl, keeping as much of the juice as possible to make your sauce with.
Next, chop the onions and ‘extra veg’ into bite-size pieces, as everyone has their own preference for spaghetti chunk sizes. Extra vegetables could be bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, pea pods, or anything else you tend to like in pasta dishes. Scoop your vegetables into a separate bowl from the tomatoes and then mince your garlic into another separate container.
Starting the Sauce
In this next stage, you’ll realize that the secret to cooking is confidence and a recipe more than some eldritch magic passed down from parent to child. Great pasta sauce is actually quite easy. Place a saucepan on the stove and set the burner to ‘medium’. When the pan starts to warm, pour a layer of olive oil into the pan (no more than 2 tbsp) and swish it around to cover the bottom of the pan, then drop in the minced garlic.
In a few minutes, this should start to smell amazing and it’s time to add the tomatoes. Pour your diced tomatoes with all the juice and mix it into your lightly browned garlic. Let it simmer for a few minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables and spices so they can steep in the sauce and deepen the flavor. Make sure the sauce is simmering strongly and stir every few minutes.
If the water is boiling by now, add the pasta (enough for all desired servings) and set a timer for about 10 to 12 minutes depending on what your packaging says. Make sure to stir every two minutes to keep it from sticking.
Preparing the Meat
The quick and easy version of this recipe skips the meatballs in favor of a nice meaty sauce instead, unless you prefer vegan and skip the meat altogether. To transform the sauce from veggie to meat sauce, simply brown ground beef in a separate pan, breaking it up with your spatula as it cooks. Sprinkle a little pepper and oregano in to enhance the flavor. When you’ve got nicely browned meat crumbles, stir them into the simmering sauce.
Pulling It Together
By the time the pasta is done, your sauce should have reduced to something a little thicker and the aroma of fresh pasta sauce will have filled your kitchen. Strain the pasta into a cullendar, then place the cullendar on top of your pot so it doesn’t drip. Now all you have to do is serve with a sprinkle of cheese on top!
Making a delicious meal of spaghetti from scratch really is that easy. All you have to do is chop, simmer, and combine. Once you get the hang of the base recipe you can start experimenting with new ingredients, meatballs, cook times, and portion sizes. This is an incredible recipe to add to your parent menu. Not only will your children eat it happily, you can also use it as a go-to for date nights, wowing the in-laws, and last-minute dinner parties.