Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Garden Fresh Herbs

I am sure that most of you have heard about the five love languages: Physical touch, quality time, gifts, words of affirmation and acts of service, courtesy of Dr. Gary Chapman. However, in my house there is a sixth love language and that is FOOD. To include the number one aphrodisiac of my marriage, spaghetti with meat sauce. That is what my wife dreams of when we celebrate things like our son peeing in the toilet with no messy clean ups! Of course, anniversaries, birthdays and the everyday 'I love you' moments are important, but you really need to celebrate the little victories that just might lead to a glass of wine and some quality time *wink*wink*.

But let us move on....the recipe is all about the finesse of flavors! One pound of ground beef and one pound of ground pork is my go-to for this recipe. Fat content?! I am unaware as they are from locally butchered animals and I never think to ask. Fresh herbs make this spaghetti even better. I like to use oregano, thyme, rosemary, and handfuls of basil from my garden.

PSA: grow a garden...it's good for you, your family, and gets you eating more veggies in season and in large varieties.

Tomatoes, I tend not to use tomato paste because I do not like adding sugar to counter the stronger level of acidity that it brings with it. Jalapeno peppers are added because I enjoy them so much and green olives because my wife is adamant that she find them in there. Our recipes are all about you and your family making it your own, sharing life with one another, so that you can be brought back to the table!

Browned beef, pork and sauteed vegetables with mushrooms added

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Garden Fresh Herbs

Servings: 8 Time: 60min Difficulty: easy

Our goal is to bring our family back to the table and this meal does it everytime! I took the time to perfect this sauce because this has been my wife's favorite since childhood. This sauce has a great balance of meat, tomatoes and veggies, and most important, it is thick and NOT watery.

Meat Sauce

1 pound of ground beef

1 pound of ground pork

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

6 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped*

4 sprigs of fresh oregano, chopped*

2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped*

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper

3 large garlic cloves, minced

10 green olives with pimentos, halved

1 14.5oz can of tomato sauce

1 14.5oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

8oz of baby portabella mushrooms, quartered

20 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Parmesan cheese for serving

Pasta

3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 16oz thin spaghetti, cooked al dente

1. Heat a large sauté or soup pot over medium high heat. Add in ground beef and ground pork and cook until it has fully browned. Push meat to one side of the pan and let the fat pool on other side (we are going to use this to sauté our other ingredients- if there is too much for your liking them drain some of it).

2. Add in onions and peppers on the other side of the pan and sauté until tender. Mix with the meat and again, push to one side of the pan.

3. Add in the rosemary, thyme, oregano, spices, olives, and garlic. Sauté for 30-45 seconds. Mix well with veggies and meat.

4. Add in the tomato sauce, diced and crushed tomatoes and stir until incorporated. Add mushrooms and basil on top and lightly stir into meat sauce.

5. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook sauce until the liquid has reduced to your desired thickness. I simmer mine for roughly 45 minutes as we enjoy a thicker meat sauce.

6. While the meat sauce is reducing, cook spaghetti according to instructions on the packaging, we like ours al dente. Once pasta is cooked and drained, toss the spaghetti in the olive oil to prevent sticking.

7. Plate spaghetti and ladle on the meat sauce. Top with parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and devour!

*Fresh herbs should have their leaves removed for chopping and consumption. The stems should be discarded. If fresh herbs are not available use dried herbs as follows

1/2 tsp each of dried thyme and rosemary

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried basil

Store the remaining sauce and pasta separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Reheat on stove top with a splash of water.

Serve this with a side salad and our dressing.