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Yes, sometimes I just grab a big ole jar or two of spaghetti sauce at the grocery store instead of making a big batch of homemade. There’s nothing wrong with that. But I don’t just heat it up and toss it over cooked pasta. Nope, I gotta make my shortcut spaghetti. It’s a dish I started making in my bachelor years, and have perfected over time.
You can use ground beef instead of Italian sausage, but I wouldn’t. The first years I made shortcut spaghetti I used beef. Sausage is better. Much better. And my homemade Italian sausage is fantastic. I make a batch and freeze it in one pound packages. Perfect for a shortcut dish.
I like to use my good ole trusty Dutch oven to make this spaghetti and pretty much darned near anything like it on my stovetop. It’s nice and big and sturdy. That extra weight helps it maintain and distribute heat perfectly. As an added bonus, it’s actually pretty easy to clean up too!
Oh, and I almost forgot! Instead of pasta, serve the meat sauce mixture on a hoagie or sub roll as a sandwich and top with tons of shredded mozzarella. It’s the perfect messy Sloppy Italian Joe sandwich. Or substitute meatballs for the sausage.
Shortcut Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 2 14 ounce ground Italian sausage
- 1 pound mushrooms sliced
- 1 large sweet onion chopped
- 2 24 ounce spaghetti sauce
- pasta cooked per package instructions
- parsley chopped, for garnish
- Parmesan cheese grated, for garnish
Instructions
- Crumble the sausage into a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- When the sausage is almost browned add the mushrooms and onion and continue sauteeing until the onion starts to soften. Remove from heat and drain.
- Add sauce to a large pot over low heat.
- Add in the meat mixture.
- Cover and let simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Serve over cooked pasta (or mix the pasta in with the sauce first) garnished with parsley and Parmesan.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.