Shortcut Spaghetti
This easy shortcut spaghetti features a savory ground beef meat sauce made with a "doctored up" jar pasta sauce, frozen seasoning blend and aromatic spices. Perfectly budget-friendly and kid-approved, it’s the ultimate emergency dinner recipe for busy families.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1.5 cups (packed) frozen seasoning blend
- 1.5 pounds ground beef
- salt, pepper, ground paprika, garlic powder, Italian seasoning to taste
- 1 (24-oz) jar pasta sauce traditional or tomato basil
- ½ cup spaghetti cooking water
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt generously, then add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions.Once ready, reserve ½ cup spaghetti cooking water. Drain the rest and stir butter through spaghetti. Set aside.1 pound spaghetti, salt, 1 tablespoon butter
- Cook vegetables: While the water is coming to a boil and the spaghetti are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the seasoning blend, cook until softening - about 4-5 minutes.1 tablespoon oil, 1.5 cups (packed) frozen seasoning blend
- Brown beef: Add the ground beef and season with salt, pepper and seasoning to taste. Cook until browned, breaking up the meat as you go. Drain excess grease if you prefer.1.5 pounds ground beef, salt, pepper, ground paprika, garlic powder, Italian seasoning
- Simmer sauce: Stir the jar of sauce into the ground beef mixture. Rinse the jar with a small splash of water, and add that with the ½ cup of spaghetti cooking water to the skillet as well. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, or for however much time is left until the spaghetti are done.1 (24-oz) jar pasta sauce, ½ cup spaghetti cooking water
- Serve: Either toss the spaghetti with the sauce in the skillet, or serve separately. Add grated cheese on top, if you like.