Recipe - Hearty Spaghetti Sauce

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This sauce is a great base for many dishes. It can be used for pasta or turned into chili or sloppy joes with just a few extra ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised when I made it recently. The spice measurements are based on dried spices, so if you want to use fresh, you can double or even triple the amounts listed to your specific taste.

Makes 12 Servings (2/3 cup = serving)

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion diced
1 large green pepper seeded and diced
1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
3 cans (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Saute onion, green pepper and ground beef on medium heat until beef is fully cooked. Drain any grease. Add mushrooms and cook for two minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.

Variations:

I did not want to add ketchup because of the extra sugar it contains, so I added a can of diced tomatoes to make the sauce a little chunkier. I drained about half the liquid off the can before adding. I also completely forgot to add the tomato paste, and it tasted just fine. I also added two cloves of minced garlic when I was cooking the ground beef.

To turn into chili, add a can or two of your favorite beans (black beans, kidney beans or even a white bean). A dash or two of hot sauce and a little extra chili powder and cumin finish it off nicely. Garnish with low-fat cheddar cheese and fat free sour cream.

To turn into sloppy joes, add about 1/4 cup of brown sugar to about 3-4 cups of sauce. Add in a squirt of yellow mustard, a little garlic powder and a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Simmer for 20 minutes and you are finished. You may start off with half the amount of brown sugar and vinegar and then add more to taste. I personally, do not like mine very sweet.