Freezer Meal Recipe: Deliciously Simple Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Mom life is full of sweet moments and frantic frenzy. If you are anything like me most days the laundry is piling up, the load in the washer has been rewashed three times, the house is a mess, the kids are either bouncing off the walls or bored out of their minds, and I'm still in my pajamas. I haven’t brushed my hair much less thought about what is for dinner or set anything out to defrost. UGH!!!
Well, enter the freezer meal saving the dinner dilemma of the day. (As a little side note be sure to check back later this week as I will share with you the simple way that I meal plan.)
So the recipe I have for you today is "Deliciously Simple Homemade Spaghetti Sauce". I modified a recipe my friend Chaeli shared with me a few years ago. As an added bonus this recipe is gluten free and makes a great pairing with your favorite GF pasta or whatever pasta you enjoy. One of our favorite pairings is to serve this sauce with homemade pizza rolls (I promise I will share that recipe soon). I make this recipe routinely as it is a favorite with everyone in my house.
This recipe is for a single batch but I highly recommend making a double or triple batch, so that there is plenty to freeze for a later date. I usually make a triple batch in my 8qt stock pot or sometimes a double batch in my 6qt crockpot. For today though I made a double batch in my 8qt stock pot.
So without further ado here it is:
Deliciously Simple Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe:
(Single Batch)
Apprx 10-12 servings
Ingredients:
1 LB pound ground beef ($3.50)
1/2 cup minced onion ($0.34) I use a yellow onion that I mince in my food processor.
1 tsp minced garlic. I use garlic from the jar.
1 (28 ounce) can crushed peeled tomatoes ($1.00)
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste ($0.99)
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce ($0.59)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon Basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Also be sure to grab freezer bags at the store. I use quart size for my family of 4. If you have a larger family you can use two quart size freezer bags or one gallon size freezer bag. It is up to you.
Extras I like to add, but not necessary:
Fresh Rosemary from my garden (Thank you Noel and Brent for that special gift in my backyard.)
3 drops of each essential oil, oregano, rosemary, and marjoram. (If I had basil oil I would add that as well.)
1 cup of baby carrots diced in my food processor. You can also add mushrooms or other vegetables as well.
I also add additional seasonings (salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and garlic powder) about half way through the cooking process if I want to bolster the flavor more.
Directions for stovetop:
In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook beef, onion, and garlic until well browned; drain fat.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water.
Mix in sugar and season with Italian seasoning, Basil, salt, and pepper.
Add more seasoning according to your own taste Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Directions for Crockpot:
(A double batch will fit in a 6qt crockpot)
In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook beef, onion, and garlic until well browned; drain fat.
Add meat to crockpot and stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water.
Mix in sugar and season Italian seasoning, Basil, salt, and pepper.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
Stir occasionally
How to freeze:
Pull out a few freezer bag and label the with the contents and date (month and year).
I use my ladle and do one scoop per serving plus one. (The plus one or two depends on if your family likes their pasta with lots of sauce. My family happens to like a lot of sauce so I add a bit extra to each bag.)
Try and get as much air out as possible and the seal closed.
I place my bags into the refrigerator for 1-2 days to allow the flavors more time to fuse.
Place into the freezer until ready to use.
The double batch made 4 qt size bags of sauce for meals that I will pair with pasta and 2qt size bags of sauce that I will pair with pepperoni rolls.
