Shea Simmons
When it comes to simple weeknight meals, spaghetti is a go-to for many. If you feel as though your sauce is never quite right, it might be because of one missing ingredient.
Balsamic vinegar is the way to make a quick spaghetti sauce taste like it has been simmering all day long.
Sheela Prakash, the senior contributing food editor at Kitchn, says the extra ingredient is how she gets her sauce to taste more full. Prakash explains that she starts hers by chopping an onion and mincing garlic. She then cooks the onion and garlic together with lean ground beef, Italian spices, and red pepper flakes. Once the meat is cooked through, she adds a large can of crushed tomatoes and lets the mixture simmer as she makes the pasta.
Obviously, this is an ultra-quick and easy sauce. More traditional sauces, however, simmer for hours so that all of the flavors can absorb. Prakash’s hack for getting that same flavor is adding two teaspoons of balsamic vinegar. According to the editor, the additional richness of the vinegar helps to add fullness to the sauce’s flavor, enhances the sweetness, and brings an overall balance to the dish.
The next time you’re planning a spaghetti night, you might want to add some balsamic vinegar to your sauce, and while you’re at it, don’t forget to toast your noodles.
[Via Kitchn]
