The Best Spaghetti Sauce

I've got a question for you. A question to take seriously. Are you ready? Who doesn't like spaghetti? Honestly. Have you ever heard the words "I just don't care for spaghetti" come out of anyone's mouth? Of course not. It's universal appeal and absolute yumminess (is that a word?) makes it the perfect meal for almost any occasion. From the Saturday night dinner party with friends to the throw-together Monday night meal for the family, spaghetti is always there for you to enjoy. Luckily for you, my dear, sweet friends, I have the perfect spaghetti recipe that is not only easy to put together, but it will impress the socks off of anyone who is privileged enough to enjoy it. And, isn't that what we're going for, people? Socks off?

Now, I'm not going to act like this is my first rodeo. I've spent many o' night writing the metaphorical spaghetti bull only to get bucked off one second too early. So, learn from my trial and error... A good spaghetti sauce recipe is all about the details. It's all about the little flavors that marry together to create one big -WOW!- So, heed my warning, friends, and don't skip a step. Have I ever steered you wrong in the past? 

The Best Spaghetti Sauce:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 4-5 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground italian sausage
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (5 ounce) can tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons dry italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dry basil
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon (salted) butter
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese + 1/2 cup (for serving)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• **1 pound spaghetti noodles

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add garlic and cook for additional 1 minute. Add sausage, ground beef and sugar, cooking and crumbling until brown and done. Reduce heat to simmer and add in crushed tomato, tomato sauce, tomato paste, italian seasoning, basil and fennel. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes - 1 hour. This really depends on personal preference. The sauce is ready after 30 minutes, but flavors deepen and improve over time. 

Meanwhile, heat your pasta water and cook your spaghetti to al dente. 

Turn off heat and stir in butter and parmesan cheese until well incorporated. 

Plate pasta, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh black pepper. Scoop sauce over and top with additional shredded parmesan and chopped parsley.