Do you ever reflect back on your childhood days and remember a time when there was a dish you prepared for your family in which you felt you just “rocked” at? A dish that no matter how many times it was made, it always came out amazing and you were so proud, you couldn’t wait to share it with everyone? For me, that was spaghetti with meat sauce.
For as long as I can remember as a kid growing up with the classic spaghetti with tomato sauce, this was comfort food at it’s finest. Many years later, as I stand in my own kitchen and repeat what was so comforting with the addition of meat to the sauce, I reminisce those times my mother would make hers to feed the family. As a young teenager, I became old enough to make this dish on my own to help alleviate some of my mother’s daily tasks. She was a hard working single mother of two rebellious teenage girls who managed several jobs to make ends meet. For her long days ahead, I would come home straight from school and step in to make a spaghetti dish my mother knew I could handle. Sometimes, the simplest meals like this, is some of the best food I’ve ever had!
So for this Mother’s Day, albeit that I barely cook, I still want to give back and repeat one of the easiest home cooked meals that I grew up on with my own spin. It’s good to remember and cherish those family moments going forward of eating together around the table over a simple meal that has meant so much to me for so many years.
From its recognizable blue box, you can find Barilla® in many grocery stores, including Walmart. This brand has been a family favorite for years and I bet on any given day, you would find a box or two of any variety of Barilla® pasta in my pantry. I sometimes jokingly say, I was born half Italian despite my Hispanic nature because I could eat pasta almost every day!
So for this Mother’s Day, who’s that special person you hold dear to your heart that you would like to give recognition to: your mother, your wife, a grandmother or aunt? If you could make a spaghetti (or any pasta) dish, what would it be?
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Spaghetti with San Marzano Tomato Meat Sauce
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 box Barilla® Spaghetti
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 small carrot, chopped
- 1 stem celery, chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup white wine (optional)
- 1 28–ounce can San Marzano Tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano, shaved
Instructions
- Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the onion, carrot and celery with oil.
- Add the beef and cook until browned, about 10 minutes.
- Incorporate the tomatoes and water. Season with salt and pepper to taste and bring to a simmer.
- Cook pasta in the boiling water according to the package directions. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.
Notes
OPTIONAL: After the meat is browned, you can deglaze the sauce by adding the wine and let it reduce all the way.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Cuisine: Italian
Recipe source: Barilla®
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Barilla. The opinions and text are all mine.