American Style Spaghetti

My childhood bestfriend migrated to the US with her family 2 years ago. She had a short vacation in the Philippines last February-July 2014, and she cooked this recipe for our mini get-together. Everyone agreed that her American-style spaghetti is a winner. She taught me how to cook this amazing recipe and as expected, everybody in my family was impressed. This is very easy to prepare, and you can easily find the ingredients in your local grocery store. Experience the taste of expensive American restaurants at the comfort of your home with this easy-to-make spaghetti.


Ingredients:
1 kilo spaghetti Pasta
1 kilo Spaghetti Sauce
3/4 kilo Ground Beef
1 400g can Crushed Tomatoes (can be substituted by 250g Tomato Sauce)
1 400g can Sliced Mushroom
1 150g small jar Green Olives (pitted)
1 tbsp. Basil
1 tsp. Rosemary
1 tsp. Thyme
4 tbsp. Sugar
Garlic
Onion
Salt
Ground Pepper
1 block Cheddar Cheese
Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Procedure:
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Set aside.
2. In a deep casserole, heat oil and saute garlic and onion. Add the ground beef and cook until brown.
3. Pour the spaghetti sauce and crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce if not available) and simmer for 5 minutes in medium heat.
4. Pour the mushroom and green olives (do not drain these two, include the water).
5. Add the sugar, basil, thyme, rosemary. Put some salt (about 2 teaspoons) and ground pepper to taste. You can add more sugar if you think it's too sour, or more salt if you think it's bland, but don't add too much.
6. Add the grated cheddar cheese (you can set aside some of the grated cheddar for toppings). Cover the casserole and simmer for another 5 minutes in medium heat.
7. Turn off the heat. Prepare pasta in a plate and pour some of the sauce on top. Top with the remaining grated cheddar and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.


Contributed by: Maye Rianne Javier