Italian Meat Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (16 ounce) cans tomatoes
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (3 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon MSG, if desired
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Sauté onion in hot oil until almost tender.
2. Add meat and garlic; brown lightly.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until sauce is nice and thick, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove bay leaf.
5. Serve over hot spaghetti.

Makes 6 servings.

You can omit the ground beef. Brown and cook Italian sausage and meatballs. Add to the sauce about the last 30 minutes of cooking until they are well heated through.