Updated 3.28.2020.
Growing up, my grandma on my dad’s side of the family used to make this dish all the time. We couldn’t get enough of it. As soon as I was old enough to use the stove, I tried replicating the recipe. I never could. Both my sister and I are convinced there’s a secret to the recipe that our eighty-six year-old grandma is not sharing with us. Because no matter how many times we try to replicate the dish, it just doesn’t taste the same. (For the record, our grandma insists she’s not withholding.)
A must for this recipe is canned tomato juice. Canning has never been something I got into; luckily my sister did. Not only does she grow her own tomatoes, she cans them (and the juice), too.
ingredients.
- 1 ¼ to 1 ½ lb ground hamburger
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 c. water
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 1 qt tomato juice (canned, not store-bought)
- ½ lb cooked spaghetti noodles
directions.
- Brown meat and onions until meat is thoroughly cooked. Add water and simmer until water has reduced.
- Add tomato juice, salt and pepper. Let simmer five or 10 minutes.
- Cook Spaghetti according to package directions and add to meat sauce. Let simmer on a low heat for half an hour before serving. (So that the juice soaks up into the noodles.)
Our grandma says this dish tastes even better the second day. My sister says the noodles get too fat. I would eat this in a box. I would eat this with a fox. I would eat this in a house. I would eat this with a mouse. I would eat this here and there. Say! I would eat this ANYWHERE! (Or anytime.)
Recipe rating:
Food Snob 