School Cafeteria Spaghetti & Meat Sauce Recipe – quick and easy homemade spaghetti sauce that is a childhood lunchroom favorite. Ground beef, onion, garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes, water, basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, salt, pepper, and spaghetti. SO simple and super delicious. Ready to eat in 30 minutes. I am pretty sure my lunchroom never served something so yummy! Serve with a salad and some garlic bread for a meal the whole family will enjoy.
Add onion, garlic, black pepper, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, basil, oregano, marjoram, and thyme. Break up whole tomatoes with spoon.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Add cooked spaghetti to the skillet and toss to coat.
Notes:
Can substitute ground turkey or Italian sausage for ground beef.
You can use the sauce on any pasta that you have on hand.
If you don't have marjoram on hand, you can substitute oregano.
I crush the whole tomatoes with my hands before adding them to the skillet. You can also break them up with a spoon or spatula.
I used dried herbs in this spaghetti sauce, but you can use fresh if you prefer. Dried herbs are more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, therefore you need less. To convert fresh herbs to dry, use the ratio of one tablespoon of fresh herbs to one teaspoon of dried herbs.
This recipe uses 15 tablespoons of tomato paste. One 6-oz can has 10 tablespoons in it, so you will need 1 1/2 cans of tomato paste. You can also weigh the tomato paste on a kitchen scale. You will need 9-oz for this recipe.
Is spaghetti sauce gluten-free? Yes. All of the ingredients in the sauce are gluten-free.
Can Lunchroom Spaghetti Sauce be made in the slow cooker? Yes. Brown the ground beef and place all of the ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
Can Spaghetti Sauce be frozen? Yes! Cook the sauce and let it cool completely. Transfer the sauce to plastic containers or freezer bags and freeze.