Cheater Spaghetti Sauce

Makes 6-8 Servings

2 cans tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 lbs. ground Italian sausage, mild, hot or both
20-30 meatballs, cooked
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup Italian Seasoning
2 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoons basil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Brown ground Italian sausage over medium heat, adding garlic for the last 3 minutes. Saute until cooked. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasonings and sugar. Heat to boiling. Add meatballs. Boil for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with cooked pasta or over hoagies.



This spaghetti sauce is my shortcut version of Nana's classic old Italian sauce. Sometimes I mix in a can of tomato paste and I also like to mix in some diced onion and green pepper with the garlic sometimes for a bit more kick. This is great for when you're short on time but want a classic tasting Italian sauce. I like to have more than one kind of meat for flavor, and I never drain the fats from the meat. I leave the fat in there from the ground meats and I also dump the juices from the meatballs in with them after I take them out of the microwave. When I make scratch sauce, I use 4 different kinds of meat: chicken, meatballs, Italian sausage and beef (brasciol). (Nana always uses lamb as her fourth meat, but it's not as popular in my house as it was in hers, so I usually count the meatballs as my fourth meat.) It just makes the sauce that much heartier and tastier. Add some garlic bread and salad and you've got a delicious meal that everyone likes.