Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 pounds of ground meat
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (1 whole)
• 1/2 bell or green pepper, finely chopped
• 8 ounce can tomato paste
• 1 lb, 10 ounce jar of Ragu or Progresso, anytype
• 2 teaspoons sugar

In a large Dutch oven, brown ground meat until all brown. Drain into a collander and rinse all fat from meat. Reserve

Using same pot, drizzle olive oil to coat bottom of pan, add onions, garlic and bell peppers. Cook until soft over high heat. Add tomato paste and mix until sauce has characteristics of a roux (sauce turns a darker red and bottom of pan will brown), about 5 minutes. Fill tomato paste can with water and add, stirring bottom to loosen brown mixture on bottom of pan, cook for another 5 minutes.

Add sugar, Ragu or Progresso tomato sauce and meat. Fill tomato sauce container half way with water and add to sauce. Salt and pepper to taste, cook for about 30 minutes and serve.

For a variation, add basil, oregano to make more Italian sauce.

Compliments of Susan Villani