homemade spaghetti sauce

I know nothing is easier than opening a jar of Ragu, but I feel like this may be a little bit better for you :)

1lb (or so) of any kind of meat you want to use
2 cans- 1 diced tomatoes, 1 tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
onion
garlic
bell pepper (any color you like)
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes (if you want a little heat)
brown sugar
parm. cheese
italian seasonings (oregano, basil, etc)
olive oil

brown meat in pan, drain if necessary, set aside
heat olive oil in a sauce pot and throw in diced veggies (from above) adding garlic last b/c it burns easily.
once veggies are sauteed down, add in 2 cans of tomato products (the paste will come later) - cook over med-low heat. throw in remaining seasonings to taste. i wouldn't suggest more than a tbsp of brown sugar or you'll get too sweet. i would also taste before salting b/c some cans of tomato sauce come pre-salted.
add in tomato paste to thicken to desired consistancy, i usually use about half the can.
cont. to cook over low heat until ready to eat.


-sometimes i leave out the can of tomato sauce and will throw in a fresh tomato, carrots, zucchini, etc and make like a ratatouille type thing to put over chicken.
-for kids you can add carrots to the sauce to get an extra veggie. i have a hand held blender that i can dip right into the pot and it "food processes" everything so you can't even tell there are veggies in there (if you need to hide them for a picky eater)