Spaghetti is one of my husband’s comfort foods and a meal he almost always makes himself. He likes to season the meat and crumble the hamburger all in this special way. He even cooks the pasta because he can’t stand for it to be the least bit undercooked.  Though he’s very supportive with my gluten-free diet, he prefers normal pasta with one of his favorite meals. I don’t blame him because the texture can be weird with some of the gluten-free pastas. I started using polenta with his famous sauce because I didn’t want to use a separate pot to boil special noodles just for me.  Luckily, I discovered I prefer polenta with the meaty sauce.

About.com defined polenta as corn meal mush. You can make it from scratch but I buy the tubes at Trader Joe’s. I think the tubes are with the pasta and you can keep it in the pantry until you open the package. I slice a few rings, heat it in the microwave and top it with the sauce. I think the texture of the polenta is lighter than pasta and I feel less like I ate a boiling ball. I often feel run down if I eat too much red meat. Not the husband however.

Here is how he makes his sauce:

Ingredients:

1 package of organic hamburger meat (we stock up on this at Costco and always have it in the freezer)

salt and pepper

half an onion

A jar of marinara sauce (I found one I LOVED but just found out the company is going out of business! We like this sauce so much I’m sending Russ on a Costco run to see if there is still any on the shelves.)

a bell pepper (I like red because it’s milder and you get the vitamin C)

sliced mushrooms

red wine

Russ starts by browning the meat. He breaks it up finely with a wooden spoon because he says it blends with the sauce better. He seasons with salt and pepper then throws in the onions, cooking it with the meat. He then adds the sauce, bell pepper and mushroom. He pours probably about a half cup, maybe less, of red wine at the end. Simmer for as long as possible.

This meal is simple, delicious and I don’t have to make it. That’s the best kind of dinner. I’m very bummed about the marinara sauce being discontinued. The ingredients were few and all identifiable as real food. Anyone else got a great natural marinara sauce?

I currently don’t have a favorite song playing in my head which is odd for me. I must not be listening to enough music. Here is a song by one of my very favorite singer/song writers Sarah Bareilles. Her voice blows me away. What a talented woman!