dressed up spaghetti

we eat pasta a lot around the Hogan household, mostly because it is quick and easy and because i LOVE all pasta! but tonight we ate it because my husband is running a 50K this Saturday (that is 31 miles...and yes he is crazy) and tonight was his night to "carb up" so PASTA!

but the plain ole' jane pasta sauce gets old quick! so i wanted to share an easy way to dress up your favorite jar of marinara! it's a nice pinch of sugar to your regular pasta routine!

brown your favorite kind of ground meat, i used beef, but others would be good too, whatever you like to use! then drain the meat and add 1 chopped green bell pepper, 1/2 chopped sweet onion, and one garlic clove, minced. let all that cook together for a few minutes, then add almost a whole can of diced tomatoes to the mix and let that goodness meld together for a few minutes.

then add 3/4 of a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce.

let all that goodness simmer together while you cook your favorite pasta! we went with spaghetti for this "carbfest"

**tip for keeping the pasta from sticking all together: after your drain the water off of it, toss it in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil! adds a nice flavor that wont clash with the meal, and keeps it from becoming a giant glob of pasta!**

YUM!