My favorite food as a child was my grandma's spaghetti. Before she passed she shared with me her recipe, but I have yet been able to get it just right. Over the years I have modified it with various additions or subtractions of ingredients. The base always remains the same though, tomato paste. Here is a modified version of grandma's made clean. Hope you enjoy!
Meatballs-
Whole grain bread crumbs
2 pounds ground beef or turkey
Organic ketchup
Onion flakes
2 eggs
Pour ketchup, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion flakes onto meat and mix with hands in a bowl. Add ketchup or bread crumbs as need to get the right consistency. Not too wet, not too dry. Roll into golf ball size or larger depending on preference. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Spaghetti sauce-
2 cans tomato paste
Italian seasoning
Basil
1 bay leaf
Onion flakes or onion powder
Garlic- fresh or minced
Scoop out paste into pan and fill each can up twice with water and add to pan. Pour in seasonings. I never measure, but if I had to guess, it would be about 1-2 teaspoons of basil, 1-2 tbsp of Italian dressing, 1-2 garlic cloves or a tbsp of minced garlic, and 1-2 tsp of onion flakes or powder. Cook on low. The paste will desolve into the water as it heats. Pour over whole grain pasta and meatballs.
Variations:
Sometimes I don't make meatballs and I just cook a pound of meat and mix in the sauce as it cooks. Other times, I add crushed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes. Sometimes I'll add mushrooms, use chopped onion, or add red pepper flakes. Really can't go wrong with any of these variations.
Often, I'll double the sauce and freeze the leftovers for a quick reheat meal one day. I'll also use this sauce on chicken Parmesan. Enjoy!