Instructions

• Step 1: Peel tomatoes Peel your fresh tomatoes and dice. If you like sauce a little chunkier, make your tomato cubes bigger. Set the diced tomatoes aside.
• TIP: Peeling tomatoes is easy if you dunk each one in boiling water for 10 seconds and set in ice water to cool.
• Step 2: Brown beef and add spices Spray a skillet with cooking spray and brown your ground beef. Drain the grease.
• Step 3: Add spices Add onion, garlic, basil, a bay leaf, and oregano. Mix together all ingredients and cook for three minutes.
• TIP: If you don't have all the spices, buy a jar of premixed pasta spices.
• Step 4: Add in remaining ingredients Add the diced tomatoes to the meat mix, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper, and stir the mixture well.
• TIP: For a thicker sauce, add some tomato paste to the sauce until you reach your desired thickness.
• Step 5: Simmer sauce and pour over pasta Simmer the sauce for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Use over your favorite pasta and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese for a great homemade meal.
• FACT: Cooked tomatoes have the antioxidant lycopene, which may reduce the risk of breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancer.

You Will Need

• 2 c. tomatoes
• Cooking spray
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 onions
• diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• minced
• 1 tsp. basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp. oregano
• Can of tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 lb. pasta
• Parmesan cheese
• Pan of boiling water (optional)
• Bowl of ice water (optional)
• Jar of premixed pasta spices (optional)
• Tomato paste (optional)