It was a little weird seeing Mark Whittington link to his spaghetti sauce recipe today, because this is very similar to my own, which I just happened to have made last night for the first time in months. The only difference is that I add a general Italian seasoning, lemon juice, some honey, and mushrooms. I also use pureed and whole plum tomatoes (canned) in addition to a can of sauce and a can of paste. And I use turkey Italian sausage, hot not sweet.

It's also a good base sauce for lasagna.

[Afternoon update]

As a commenter notes, another key difference in mine is that I use fresh minced garlic, not powdered. Several cloves.

[One more update]

I also forgot bay leaves. Whole. And rosemary, fresh from the garden, if possible. We used to grow it in California (in fact, one of the residence hotels I stayed at in El Segundo last year had it growing on the hillside), but I'm not sure it does well in the Florida heat.

[Saturday afternoon update]

I just noticed that Mark writes that the sauce isn't good for someone who is dieting. I'm not sure why he thinks that--it's an excellent sauce from that standpoint--lots of protein, vegetables (in the form of onions, peppers, tomatoes) and not even a lot of fat if one has drained it off (I use olive oil to sautee things). Atkins would probably cheer it. The problem with it is not the sauce, but the pasta, which is a high-glycemic carbohydrate. I'd at least recommend whole-wheat...

Rand Simberg and Mark Whittington...

Twins separated at birth?

MG, together with Keith Cowing they form that three-headed knight from the Holy Grail.

Dude, good recipe, but POWDERED garlic?

I hope Rand is not implying that my mom, who has been gone these past seven years, has stolen his sauce recipe (g)? That would be taking his emnity a little too far,

I've used minced garlic cloves on occasion. Powdered garlic simply cuts down on preperation time. Also, while Turkey sausages may be better from a dieting standpoint, I prefer the real kind, hot or sweet depending.

I hope Rand is not implying that my mom, who has been gone these past seven years, has stolen his sauce recipe (g)? That would be taking his emnity a little too far,

I've used minced garlic cloves on occasion. Powdered garlic simply cuts down on preperation time. Also, while Turkey sausages may be better from a dieting standpoint, I prefer the real kind, hot or sweet depending.

I will consider these recipes rather carefully. Multiple tests and extensive sampling will be required.

Karl - Sound wisdom.

Also one can used roasted garlic. Take a head or two, annoint them in olive oil and perhaps a dash of salt and pepper, put them in foil or a clay cooker that one can buy, and cook them in the oven at about 325 degrees. The cloves become a soft, mushy consistency which can be sequeezed out. They work real well either in sauce or on toast. They retain the taste but lose some of that quality that makes one unwelcome in close quarters, if you know what I mean.

So is Keith going to offer a recipe and complete the Trokia ;)

I was implying nothing, Mark, other than the odd coincidences of life. I got the recipe from my saintly departed (Slovak, not Italian) aunt (by marriage), though, so perhaps your mother stole it from her. ;-)

You use canned plum tomatoes and don't mention de-seeding them? Did you forget your aunt reminding you of the three essentials of handling a tomato?

Peel, core and de-seed. De-seed. Always. A good liberal idea. Anyone who doesn't believe this should be forced to munch on tomato seeds while the rest of the family digs in.

Rand - Likely not. Besides, I was making a little joke based on your tendency to only link to any of my posts for the opportunity to snark.