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Spaghetti is one of those really easy meals to cook up for dinner, especially for a family of four or more. Of course, what makes spaghetti so great is the sauce! Without a great tasting tomato-base spaghetti sauce, it’s typically not worth even bothering to make the dish. Unfortunately, not every cook or family has the time to put into a really great sauce. It takes to long for the ingredients to mesh together and simmer down for the right texture. This is when most people go with the store bought marinara sauces. While there are some great jarred pasta sauces to be had, they’re usually kind of bland. That’s why I like to spice them up for a better kick.

I like to use Prego spaghetti sauce for a lot of my working day cooking needs. It has a pretty good taste on it’s own without being spectacular. In a way, I guess Prego is like a really good canvas that, with a little skill, can be made into something very tasty. Now there are a few different ways to spice up Prego sauce and here are a few of my favorites for you to try.

• Mushrooms, Garlic, Basil, Onion, and Parsley: This is probably the basic sauce I most often make. Be sure not to over do it with the garlic and basil, they can really over power a sauce. I use a clove (sometimes two for larger servings) of garlic with less than a teaspoon of basil for personal batches. Mushrooms, for some, have an odd texture and taste making them purely optional.
• Italian Sausage: Another easy addition if you’re not a vegetarian or vegan. The fat content of sausage will do a lot to the overall flavor of the sauce. Also, you can purchase Italian sausage in a variety of heat levels (i.e. mild, hot, extra hot, etc.) if you like a little heat in your food, this would be a great way to do it.
• Spicy Hot: Continuing with the heat, doctoring up tomato sauces with various peppers is great way to make your mouth sweat. Bell peppers, whether green, red, yellow, or orange, are great for flavor and aren’t really all that hot. For the brave, simply adding a jalapeño pepper, red pepper flakes, and some chili powder will heat things up in a hurry!
• Vegetable Variety: Parents with picky-eaters for children will appreciate this tip. A great way to get them to eat vegetables is by cutting them up and adding them into sauces. It may be a little devious but it works like a charm. Vegetables ideas that would go well with spaghetti include: zucchini, squash, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and diced up spinach (looks like basil).
• Other Popular Meats: This isn’t so much a recipe in itself but rather just some of the meat diversity that can be used. Hamburger is probably my favorite outside of sausage; however, pork is also very tasty with spaghetti. For those watching their waistline but still wanting the protein, using some grilled chicken is a nice low-fat alternative as well. I also like to use leftover meats in sauces, including the spaghetti variety. So if you have some flavorful steak, roasted chicken or whatever still in the fridge go ahead and throw it in.

The great part about spicing up Prego sauce is the amount of time you save doing it. Of course, these are merely my thoughts and preferences you’re looking at. You can mix and match or use other ingredients too if you would like to experiment. Do you have your own favorite concoction for jazzing up store bought sauces? Than please leave a comment, I’d love to hear about it.

Tags: pasta sauces