Basic Spaghetti

Is it just me or does everyone like their own family spaghetti recipe better than all others?

Regardless, I love family recipes. There's just something about passing recipes down that warms my heart. On top of that, I love reading people's family recipes and wondering how on earth anyone came up with the combinations they did. My mother-in-law's spaghetti recipe is no exception. I have no idea how she came up with this combination of ingredients, but it's great.


Spaghetti
Serves about 12
Cook & Prep Time - about 1 1/2 hrs

INGREDIENTS
2-3 lbs spaghetti noodles
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion
salt & pepper
1 (26 oz) jar Ragu "Old World Style" spaghetti sauce
1 large can tomato juice
2 (15 oz) cans stew tomatoes
3 packages dry spaghetti sauce mix
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS
Brown ground beef with onion & garlic. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Drain & set aside.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot. Add ground beef and simmer on low for 1 - 1 1/2 hrs.

About 15 minutes before serving, boil noodles to al dente. Drain and serve with the sauce.