Spaghetti Sauce

There are certain things I think probably everyone has in their pantry, one of which is at least a jar or two of a favorite pasta sauce. Mine is Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Marinara. Yummy, all natural, and inexpensive. Perfect! It's great to have on hand for a quick dinner (especially with Trader Joe's cheese tortellini).

But when you want to make an awesome meat sauce from scratch, this is the recipe to use. It is from my Italian brother-in-law's mother. It's very good. It makes a ton, so I freeze it in quart zipper bags.

ANGIE BARAZOTO'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE
6 lb. 10 oz. can tomato sauce (Sam's Club, Costco)
1 lb. ground beef, sausage, or turkey
4 T. olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. dry thyme
1/2 tsp. dry rosemary
1/2 cup dry parsley
3 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. basil
1 1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Brown meat, onion, and garlic in oil. Add remaining ingredients and simmer at least 3 hours.