Spaghetti & Meat Sauce

Name: Spaghetti & Meat Sauce
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 lb Spaghetti pasta; 1 lb Ground beef; 1 jar (24 oz) Marinara sauce (jar); ½ each Yellow onion; 2 cloves Garlic clove; 1 tsp Italian seasoning; ¼ cup Parmesan cheese

The dinner most families can make without looking. This version starts with a jar of marinara and makes it better. Brown the beef with onion and garlic, stir in the sauce and let it simmer for ten minutes while the pasta cooks, then toss it all together in the skillet with Parmesan on top. Thirty minutes, one pot and one skillet.

30 minServes 4 as writtenStovetopItalianContains Milk, Wheat

Spaghetti & Meat Sauce, as the finished dish — The photo is an illustration of the finished dish, not a photograph of this recipe as written.

Ingredients — serves 4

Spaghetti pasta1 lb
Ground beef1 lb
Marinara sauce (jar)1 jar (24 oz)
Yellow onion½ each
Garlic clove2 cloves
Italian seasoning1 tsp
Parmesan cheese¼ cup

How much to make for 2, 4, 6 or 8

Ingredient	For 2	For 4	For 6	For 8
Spaghetti pasta	½ lb	1 lb	1½ lb	2 lb
Ground beef	½ lb	1 lb	1½ lb	2 lb
Marinara sauce (jar)	½ jar (24 oz)	1 jar (24 oz)	1½ jars (24 oz)	2 jars (24 oz)
Yellow onion	¼ each	½ each	¾ each	1 each
Garlic clove	1 clove	2 cloves	3 cloves	4 cloves
Italian seasoning	½ tsp	1 tsp	1½ tsp	2 tsp
Parmesan cheese	2 tbsp	¼ cup	½ cup	½ cup
The pan	Written for 4 adult-size portions; you are cooking for about 2 — roughly 0.5× the recipe. Less than the recipe assumes — a 10-inch skillet keeps it from spreading thin; watch it, small amounts cook faster.	—	Written for 4 adult-size portions; you are cooking for about 6 — roughly 1.5× the recipe. This calls for a 12-inch skillet. At about 1.5× the recipe, brown in two batches — a crowded pan steams instead of browning. Then finish in a 6-quart pot or a Dutch oven — the skillet won’t hold the whole.	Written for 4 adult-size portions; you are cooking for about 8 — roughly 2× the recipe. This calls for a 12-inch skillet. At about 2× the recipe, brown in two batches — a crowded pan steams instead of browning. Then finish in an 8-quart pot — the skillet won’t hold the whole, and a 6-quart would be full to the brim.

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Steps

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti for the time on the package. Check that it is tender with a little bite left, then drain.
While the water heats, chop the onion and chop the garlic finely. Put the ground beef, the onion and the garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook, breaking the meat up, for 6 to 8 minutes. Check that no pink remains and the beef reads 160°F on a thermometer. Spoon off the fat.
Stir in the marinara and the Italian seasoning, turn the heat down to low, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Check that the sauce has thickened and darkened a little.
Toss the spaghetti with the sauce in the skillet and serve with the Parmesan on top.

Good to know

Contains Milk, Wheat — from the ingredient names, so not a complete list. It cannot see inside a jar, a mix or a sauce, and formulas change. For an allergy or intolerance, read the package every time — never decide from this line.
🌡 Ground beef — cook to 160°F at the thickest part , the USDA minimum for ground meat. A thermometer is the test; color is not.