GETTING READY

1. Fill a large pot with water and give it a healthy pinch or three of salt. This seasons your pasta. Then follow the package instructions to cook your spaghetti.

MAKING

2. In a deep sauce pan over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add in your onions and sweat (cook) until just translucent, then add in your garlic and oregano and little salt and pepper. Cook for about a minute, then in goes the tomato paste. Give it all a good stir and cook for a few more minutes. This will help make the sauce rich, Dude.

3. Meanwhile, in batches, purée the whole tomatoes in a blender and add to the sauce pan. Then add the honey, red pepper flakes (it’s not THAT hot, just use it, it adds a nice subtle kick, c’mon) and touch more salt & pepper.

4. Bring the whole thing to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you’re not in a hurry, let this simmer (super low heat) for an hour or more. You’ll be glad you did.

5. If you just want a basic spaghetti sauce, just cook the pasta while the sauce simmers and you’re good to go. BUT…If you want to step it up, check this out. Sean makes a meat sauce enhancement and Adam makes a veggie one.

6. While your basic sauce is simmering away, make your enhancement:

For Meat Sauce

Sauté ground beef (or turkey, chicken, pork, etc), and a little salt & pepper, until browned, then drain any excess fat. Lower fat meats may need a little help with some olive oil.

For Veggie Sauce

Sauté a cubed zucchini and sliced mushrooms over medium heat in a teaspoon of olive oil and a little salt & pepper. Cook until just tender, but not mushy.

7. When your pasta is ready, add 2 cups of the basic sauce to your pan of enhancement, stir to combine, then pour over your pasta.

SERVING

8. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and a little Italian parsley.

Dude Food Tip: Adding a little seasoning to each layer as you go is a much better way to give good flavor to your dishes without making it taste “salty” by adding it all at the end.

NOTES:

And don’t just stop here, once you’ve got this down, you can totally enhance your sauce with even more ingredients, like Italian sausage or any combination of veggies. And as always, the sauce is always better next day. Just remember to store the leftover sauce and pasta separately. Then re-heat the sauce in a pan while you dunk the pasta into boiling water for about 30 seconds to make it hot.