Happy New Year!! You guys are in for a real treat! This recipe is named after one of my best friends – Louisa because it originally came from her family. I first tasted this sauce way back in high school but I didn’t officially get hooked on it until a few years later while I was in college when one day out of the blue, I woke up thinking I would REALLY like to eat Louisa’s spaghetti sauce…weird, I know. *grin* So, I called Louisa up (who I still keep in touch till this day…almost 20 years now :-D) and the rest is history. Since then, this sauce has become a family favorite and maybe it’ll become yours too!
Note: When I got the original recipe from Louisa, all the ingredients were approximated. Below are the measurements I’ve used over the years. There might even be an ommission of one or two ingredients from the original recipe although I can’t really remember anymore as I’ve been making the sauce this way since forever. Now, don’t be surprised but the secret ingredient in this sauce is KETCHUP! I would never have in a million years thought of that myself but even Hubby, who had only been used to the Italian-style tomato sauces, loves this version as well. :-D Enjoy!
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion (7½ – 8 ounces before trimming), peeled and cut into small chunks
1 head garlic (2 – 2½ ounces before trimming), peeled
3 pounds ground beef (at least 85% lean)
4 cups ketchup
1 (15¼-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt or to taste
½ teaspoon white pepper
2 (1-pound) packages spaghetti (we use Trader Joe’s Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti)
Cheddar cheese (optional topping)
- Place onion chunks in the work bowl of food processor; pulse until finely chopped, stopping as necessary to scrape down sides of bowl. Remove and set aside. Next, process garlic until finely minced.
- Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Add processed onion and garlic, stirring frequently until fragrant and cooked, about 5 minutes.
- Add ground beef, increase heat to medium-high and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink.
- Stir in ketchup, and bring to a simmer.
- Then, stir in corn and seasonings. Continue to simmer for a couple more minutes – sauce should be thick. Turn off heat.
- Meanwhile, cook spaghetti until al dente. Serve pasta, topped with sauce, and cheese if desire.
I've been using this recipe since you introduced spaghetti in our family! And, I must say, Louisa's spaghetti sauce IS the best – simply because ketchup is used instead of tomato puree! Besides the corn, I like adding sliced button mushroom as well ;)
I'm glad you guys are still enjoying the sauce. :-D Using ketchup makes a vibrant, sweet/tangy sauce without any lengthy simmering!!!
[…] English version of empanada of which the recipe came from hubby’s grandmother), or Louisa’s Spaghetti Sauce (named after one of my closest friends because it’s her family’s recipe). Obviously, we […]