How to Improve Bottled Spaghetti Sauce

When you need a quick meal but don't feel like getting take-out, you always can grab that bottle of spaghetti sauce and dump it on some pasta. If you're feeling creative, however, you can improve any bottled spaghetti sauce with a few added ingredients. Here's how to do it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Toss in a few spices and seasonings to your bottled sauce. Some fresh or dried oregano, a bit of basil and garlic are good additions to any sauce, as are a touch of crushed red pepper, fennel or marjoram.
2. Brown up some ground beef, pork or Italian sausage for a vast improvement over the meat flavored sauces available in the market. Add in a quarter-pound or so to a 32 oz. jar of regular spaghetti sauce and simmer gently for a few minutes. You'll never go back to the bottled meat sauce again.
3. Throw in some vegetables, especially if you have small, picky eaters. They may actually like broccoli, carrots, zucchini or bell pepper when they are part of a favorite pasta dish. Or simply add some drained canned diced tomato to give the sauce a homemade texture.
4. Chop up some fresh mushrooms. Button mushrooms are an old favorite, but portabellas has a stronger flavor. Either choice is much better than the sauces with mushroom bits.
5. Add a small amount of finely grated cheeses like Romano or Parmesan. There's no need to put a lot in the pot. A little bit can be wonderful, but too much adds a weird texture to your dinner. Be sure to serve some on the side for anyone who wants more cheese.
6. Pour a two or three tablespoons of leftover wine into the sauce pot. Red wines work especially well, but you can add a splash of white if that's your preference.