In Western North Carolina it has been cool and rainy a good bit lately which makes me think of spaghetti. I try to keep both ground beef and ground turkey patties in the freezer. I buy the ones that are growth hormone and antibiotic free. On spaghetti nights I pull one of either type of patty out of the freezer and let it thaw to use in the sauce.

Simple Spaghetti Sauce

1 ground beef or turkey patty
1 T garlic ( I like to use the garlic that comes in a jar with oil- you can find it in the produce section of the grocery- be sure to refrigerate it after you open it)
Salt to taste
1 T olive oil
1 large carton or can of tomatoes
Oregano to taste (fresh is great if you have it)
Pepper to taste
Maple Sugar to taste
De Boles artichoke spaghetti noodles

In a sauce pan sautee the garlic in oil. Add patty and sautee until cooked. Add the tomatoes, salt, oregano, pepper and sugar. Cook for 20-30 minutes on low heat.

In a separate pot cook the noodles for 7 minutes. I generally add some olive oil and salt to the water. Stir a couple of times to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other or the bottom of the pot. Rinse and drain.

This sauce freezes well. I always have enough left over for lunch the next day or to freeze for a quick meal later on.

On a night when you have nothing planned, dinner can be served in around 30 minutes. Add a quick salad to round out the meal.

Sometimes if I don't have salad materials or if I don't have much time or energy left I sautee some frozen broccoli and serve it over the noodles with the sauce.