Spaghetti

Today, I returned home from my short visit to Houston. Other than being very sick on Saturday- possibly food poisoning or just horrible morning sickness- I had a great time. I was glad to see Art and Jacob. I was also glad to see they had eaten all the chili.

I wasn't feeling up to a trip to the store, so I needed to make dinner from what we already had. We are almost always well stocked with ingredients for spaghetti. I always make my own sauce. It is easy and versatile. By now, you have probably guessed that we purchase onions, olive oil, and canned tomato products in bulk. I use them all the time!

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz tomato paste
15 oz diced tomatoes
15oz tomato sauce
bay leaf
crushed red pepper and black pepper, to taste
whole wheat spaghetti
Parmesan cheese
Feta cheese
1/4 cup diced turkey pepperoni

Heat oil in a pot over medium high. Add onion and cook until golden, 8 minutes. Stir in garlic. Stir in tomato paste, cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes, sauce, bay leaf, and seasonings. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with enough sauce to coat.

Cooking Tip: Always stir sauce with pasta immediately after cooking so the pasta will bond with and absorb the maximum amount of flavor from the sauce. (This is a tip I learned from the executive chef on our Princess cruise to Mexico. It really makes a difference.)

Stir in cheeses and pepperoni. (Feta and pepperoni are not usually included in our spaghetti, but I thought I might as well use them since we had them on hand.)
Art and Jacob really liked the meal. I was still feeling a bit queasy, so I ate some pasta with no sauce.