Tips and Tricks: Quick Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

We love spaghetti in this house, especially homemade but it can take forever to make. Meatballs are another hit, but again, take forever. My solution: cans of pre-seasoned tomatoes and italian sausage. Sounds crazy? Probably, but hey it tastes good. 

Step 1: Set your oven to 350F. 

Step 2: Make the sauce:

Ingredients:
1 tbsp of Olive Oil  (optional)
Small (or half a regular) Onion, Diced (optional)

2-3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped (optional)

1 tbsp of Italian Herbs (ie: Oregano, Basil, Marjoram, Rosemary, Thyme) (optional)

1 can of Diced Tomatoes with Italian Spices (I like to use Aylmer, no salt added and often on sale!)

1 can of Diced Tomatoes 

5 cubes of Frozen Chicken Broth (just over 1/2 cup)

1 tbsp of White Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute the onion and the garlic in olive oil until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add in herbs and stir around, followed by the tomatoes, broth and sugar. (At this point I start the meatballs) Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer with lid slightly ajar. I like to let it simmer for at least an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

Step 3: Make the meatballs:

Cut the sausage into equal size chunks, about half to one inch wide. Place sausage "balls" on a baking sheet. Put into the preheated oven and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size.  

Step 4: Start cooking the noodles. 

Directions are on the box of spaghetti. 

Step 5: Finish up the sauce

With an immersion blender, puree the sauce until it has reached your desired consistency. Add in the meatballs and voila! You have yummy homemade spaghetti and meatballs.