Let’s make this classic spaghetti dinner:

1. Brown the Ground Beef:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the lean ground beef to the hot skillet. Cook, stirring and breaking it up into crumbles with a spoon or spatula, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it is thoroughly browned and no longer pink.
• Carefully drain and discard any excess grease from the skillet.

2. Combine Sauce Ingredients and Simmer:

• Transfer the browned ground beef into a large pot (like a Dutch oven or stockpot).
• To the pot with the beef, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, drained sliced mushrooms, dried minced onion, salt, dried oregano, white sugar, ground black pepper, and garlic powder.
• Stir all the ingredients together well to combine.
• Cover the pot and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over low heat. Once simmering, continue to cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. This long, slow simmer is key for developing deep, rich flavors.

3. Cook the Spaghetti:

• About 15-20 minutes before the sauce is finished simmering, bring a separate large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil.
• Add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 12 minutes (or according to package directions) until the pasta is tender yet still firm to the bite (al dente).
• Drain the cooked spaghetti thoroughly in a colander.

4. Serve:

• To serve, place a portion of the drained hot spaghetti on individual plates or in shallow pasta bowls.
• Ladle a generous amount of the hot, rich meat sauce over the spaghetti.
• Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil or parsley, if desired (not listed, but classic accompaniments). Serve immediately.

The aroma of that slow-simmered sauce is pure comfort