Cowboy Spaghetti (Easy Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What to put in spaghetti to make it taste better? ›

Add butter

Yes, that's right. Toss in a few tablespoons of butter, and let it melt into the sauce. If you've never tried it before, it might seem strange, but a little butter makes tomato sauce rich and smooth, and also balances out too much acidity, which is common in jarred sauces.

For the best spaghetti, cook it in salted water.

Pasta water should taste salty. I add a lot of salt to our pasta water (it makes the pasta taste delicious). I add about one tablespoon of salt for every four quarts (16 cups) of water, which is perfect for cooking one pound of pasta.

A generous sprig or two of fresh herbs like basil, parsley, rosemary, or sage can all amp up the flavor of a jarred pasta sauce. Alternatively, some of those herbs, like parsley, sage, and rosemary, can be great minced up and gently fried into fresh olive oil before adding the sauce to the pot.

Maybe it needs a touch of salt, red pepper flakes, or some fresh garlic to liven it up. You could add dried or fresh herbs too: oregano, basil, thyme, tarragon, parsley—they're all great! Want to go next level? Toss in some chopped anchovies (or anchovy salt), olives, or some lemon zest and/or juice.

Heavy cream will transform your sauce

Adding heavy cream to your jarred tomato sauce can transform it into a thicker, richer, creamy sauce that is velvety smooth. Your favorite premade sauce will not only become lighter in color, the cream will add a new depth of flavor to it.

If your jarred tomato sauce is too acidic, consider adding a pinch or two of sugar (after all, it makes the medicine go down!). Jarred sauces can sometimes make you pucker, lacking the sought-after balance of a homemade sauce.

Restaurants oftentimes use chilies to give their pasta sauce a certain "wow" factor. By incorporating elements like the smoky yet salty Calabrian chili paste into their recipes, chefs are able to provide their sauces with a richer, more complex flavor.

How to make prego spaghetti sauce better? ›

Starting with good quality tomatoes and crushing them by hand offers great flavor and texture later on. The combination of butter and oil releases fat-soluble aromatics and gives the sauce a creamy texture. Slowly cooking the sauce in the oven creates rich caramelization without burning.

To enhance the flavor of your spaghetti sauce, you can add fresh vegetables, greens, and fresh herbs like basil and parsley. You can also add diced onions, fresh garlic, and red/green pepper. A splash of red wine or some dairy, such as cheese, also works great. Lastly, don't forget salt.

Olive oil or butter and herbs. Adding a fat to the pasta makes it taste better if you're poor and need something. I also add oregano and/or basil. Butter, eggs, and cheese.

Focus on the primary tastes or dip in to the Herbs/Spices. A really simple way to fix a tasteless spaghetti sauce is give it more depth, this canbe achieved with more tomato puree as well as salt and pepper. On top of that adding Bay Leaves, Italian Herbs, Stock (I tend to use Vegetable Boullion and a Mushroom stock).

"A pinch of sugar is a Southern Italian trick that was used when the sauce was made with end-of-season tomatoes that did not get ripe, or the tomatoes were so tart they needed to be balanced," Chiarello explained to Epicurious.

If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.