Spaghetti for Super Bowl Sunday

A dish that's been long enjoyed in my family is my mother's homemade spaghetti sauce. This is a tradition at various times a year, including Super Bowl Sunday. This sauce is one my Mom has made many times over for many years. The times I've recognized the fragrant smells coming from the kitchen when she made this sauce, I knew it was something special!

Therefore, I'd like to pass the recipe on to you readers of examiner.com! "My Mother's Homemade Spaghetti Sauce" is a special recipe and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as my family has for as long as I can remember! Not a difficult recipe to make, it does call for a long, slow cooking time. In fact, this can be started early in the afternoon and left to simmer on low heat while you do other things around the home.

The recipe has varied some over time. For one, the recipe calls for olive oil. Mom has never used the oil, but if you prefer a richer sauce, you certainly could use it. She also has added slices of pre-cooked smoked sausage after adding the meatballs, which is an optional item. When you're ready for serving, pass around plenty of Parmesan cheese! My Dad liked his sprinkled with hot pepper flakes, if you like your sauce on the hotter side. This is a practice my brother still does today.

Serve this with French bread that has been buttered (and topped with garlic salt, if desired) and toasted until brown. You could serve a salad along with it, if desired. If you've made enough spaghetti, bread and salad, nobody will want dessert, at least not immediately!

If you feel motivated to bake some bread to go with this special dish, I would suggest a French bread recipe that's easy and good that I shared sometime ago. Here's the link, in case you didn't get it before:

http://www.examiner.com/article/a-french-favorite-short-cutted

Try this recipe for Super Bowl Sunday, if you're still trying to decide what to makes that's special. And enjoy it anytime throughout the year that calls for something special for dinner!

MY MOTHER'S HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Sauce:

• 1/3 cup olive oil (optional--Mom never uses it)
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 4 cups canned tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salat
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 large can tomato paste

In a large, deep pot, heat the oil, if using it. Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat 30 minutes. Add oregano and tomato paste and continue to cook for 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare the following meatballs:

Meatballs:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano

Combine all ingredients and shape into balls about the size of a golf ball. Drop them into the sauce and continue cooking for 1 hour more. Serve over cooked spaghetti and top with Parmesan cheese.

Optional: Slice 1 pkg. pre-cooked smoked sausage into rounds and add right after adding the meatballs to the sauce.