© 2025 Rachel L. Shumate | All rights reserved.
My Granny was infamous for a lot of things – like being a (rather hilarious) sore loser at games, for one – but probably her cooking was at the top of the list. And while her dishes were the epitome of Italian comfort food, she was also notorious for never measuring anything. So, with the help of my mother (who managed to figure this one out), I’m sharing her beloved spaghetti recipe. I know my family will appreciate this, and I’m quite certain you will too! Buon appetito!
Funny side note: The majority of the grandkids loved to eat “spaghetti sandwiches” using plain ol’ white Wonder bread. This was probably considered a huge culinary faux pas, and did not at all please our Italian granny. Now that I’m an adult (I use the term loosely), I actually recommend garlic bread…
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 can (15 oz) of tomatoes – finely chopped or put through blender
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste + a can of water
- 1/3 cup finely diced onion
- 1/4 tsp garlic (minced or garlic powder)
- Pinch of sage
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp sweet basil
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 package of brown gravy mix
- salt to taste
- 1 lb spaghetti noodles
Directions:
First, brown the ground beef with the chopped onion and garlic, and drain the fat. Next, in a large pot, combine blended tomatoes, tomato paste, can of water, sage, allspice, sweet basil, oregano, gravy mix, and bring to a boil. Then, add in meat mixture, reduce heat, and let simmer on low for 4 hours. (If time is a consideration, 1 – 2 hours will easily do.) Note that the sauce may be simmered longer than 4 hours, but it will begin to boil down and may lose flavor. Last, cook noodles in a separate pot and drain. Our family always combined the noodles and sauce together, mixing it all up in the big pot, but if you’re more of a “serve your sauce on top” kind of person, that’s totally you’re call. Enjoy!
More of my Granny’s famous recipes:
🙂
