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Growing up, spaghetti was my favorite comfort food. When asked which special meal I wanted for my birthday, the answer was always the same. Now as an adult, I make spaghetti and meatsauce often. This is Damn Good Meatsauce! I kind of fancy myself a meatsauce expert! My gracious family never complains about how often it’s served. I love the fact that it is economical and that it makes a large batch for lots of scrumptious leftovers.

This damn good meatsauce has long been a family favorite in our house. I have updated it over the years to make it healthier and even more budget friendly. No one noticed (or at least no one complained) when I cut back to half the meat and added lentils. The best part is, this recipe is a dump and go. I fill the crockpot before work and come home to a rich, flavorful and satisfying meatsauce. There’s nothing better than coming home at the end of a long day to the smell of dinner waiting.

Pro tip: I know it seems weird to put sugar and cinnamon in meatsauce but trust me, don’t skip these! The sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and the cinnamon really enhances the flavor.

Damn Good Meat Sauce

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb Ground beef

2 cloves minced garlic

1 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup green or brown lentils

1 tsp salt

Generous grind of pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

I  156 ml can tomato paste

6 cups of tomato sauce ( 2 680ml cans)

1tbsp brown sugar (or coconut palm sugar)

⅛ tsp cinnamon 

Instructions:

Add olive oil to a fry pan and quickly brown the ground beef.

Once browned, add the meat and all remaining ingredients to the crockpot. Stir well and set on low heat for 8 hours.

If you want to see other ways we sneak some budget friendly protien into our meals see our Thrifty Meal Extender post here.