Simply Samantha: Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Hey guys! Welcome to Simply Samantha, where the cooking is simple, and the results are oh so satisfying!

I don’t know about y’all, but I get tired of the same tasting spaghetti sauce every time I decide to make it! Spaghetti is by far my favorite meal! And let’s be honest, it's something that is very cheap to make when you are in a pinch. That’s why I had it a lot growing up, but hey that didn’t bother me at all! You can add some garlic bread on the side and you are ready to go!

My dad was always experimenting in the kitchen when I was younger, and most of the time, the best meals that were made were the ones that you tossed together in a pinch. I can remember my mom miraculously making spaghetti sauce out of ketchup at one point!

This is a recipe that will give you the taste of something that you put a ton of effort into, when really you cut some veggies, opened some cans and added seasonings. The crockpot does the rest for you!

Ingredients:

• 2 15-oz. cans of tomato sauce
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 medium onion
• 1 14.5-oz. can of diced tomatoes (be sure to drain them!)
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon of S+P (salt and pepper)
• 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning (you can use plain oregano if you have it
• 1 tablespoon of basil
• 1 pound of Hamburger
• 1 teaspoon of butter or some sort of oil for sautéing

**My husband loves when I use deer burger over hamburger, but I know that most don’t always have access to that! So, feel free to use whatever type of burger you have available!

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat a teaspoon of butter over medium-high heat. (If you don’t want to use butter or have another preference, that’s fine. Just use some sort of oil.) Mince your garlic and get it into the pan first thing.
2. Remember to put your onion in the freezer for about ten minutes before cutting so it doesn’t make your eyes water so terribly. Dice your onion and green pepper to whatever size you would like. Put them into the pan to sauté.
3. Once they are finished sautéing, you can add in your meat to be cooked. I do it this way simply because depending on the size that you cut the veggies they may not cook as quickly as your meat, and you don’t want your burger to get tough.
4. Cook your burger until it's completely done. In my house, we strain the excess grease from the pan after cooking hamburger, because it can really make our stomachs act up! Old coffee cans are great to strain the grease into! Use a colander and place it over the top of the coffee can and let the grease drain down. After it's done, rinse the meat and veggies, while in the strainer, with hot water. This helps to make sure all the grease is gone! It's important to season the meat AFTER you drain the grease because if you do it before, all the seasonings will be rinsed off.
5. After the everything is rinsed, place back on the burner and put in your seasonings! (the garlic and onion powder, Italian seasoning, basil, and S+P.)
6. Open your canned tomato sauce and put it directly into the crockpot. Then drain the canned tomatoes and place them in the crockpot as well.
7. Lastly, add the meat and veggies in and turn the crockpot on high. Once everything is heated thoroughly, you can give it a taste and know if you need to add more salt and pepper for your own taste!
8. You can let the sauce cook for about three hours on high and then turn it down to low or the keep warm setting and eat when ready!

**Draining your meat will help to cut out the extra grease in your diet! We drain our meat even when we are making simple things like hamburger helpers! Once you’ve done this and your body can tell a difference, you won't want to go back to not draining it!

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family has, and remember don’t knock it until you try it!

— Simply Samantha