Spaghetti sauce has always fascinated me. I have this picture in my head of a fancy kitchen full of Italian women wearing aprons and singing as they dance around, chopping and stirring gourmet foods. (Fun image, huh?) Only problem? I’m Scot-Irish and Swiss-German and a whole lot American. As far as I know, there’s not a drop of Italian blood in me – and I definitely didn’t inherit the singing and dancing gene.
So, when I saw a recipe for a Bolognese sauce in a magazine a few years ago, I thought a lot about it. It had a few ingredients in it that sounded rather odd to me, but it also sounded very meaty, and that’s how my husband likes it. I decided to give it a try – and it has evolved into this sauce.
Now our family favorite, it comes together quickly, can be made with either fresh or canned ingredients, and is full of chunks – both of the meat and the veggie variety. Healthy and full of flavor, it’s also very versatile and the leftover sauce works beautifully on pizza the next night!
Ingredients:
1 onion
1 green bell pepper
1 can diced tomatoes or 2 tomatoes, skins removed, diced
1 jar/can tomato puree/sauce
a few tablespoons of Italian salad dressing or olive oil and a bit of Italian seasoning
1 pound of ground beef or sausage
2 tablespoons of cream cheese
Saute the diced onion and pepper in the salad dressing. When tender, add the meat and brown it. Drain any grease. Add the tomatoes and sauce and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until incorporated. Serve over rotini or textured pasta – you need a strong noodle to hold up to this sauce!
