Name: Spaghetti for a Crowd
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 100 servings
Cuisine: Europe, Italian
Ingredients: 6 pounds ground beef; 2 cups chopped onion; 16 garlic cloves, minced; 12 cans (29 ounces each) tomato sauce; 4 cans (18 ounces each) tomato paste; 1/4 cup salt; 3 tablespoons sugar; 2 tablespoons each Italian seasoning, dried basil and oregano; 13 pounds spaghetti, cooked and drained

When making spaghetti for a crowd of 100, simplicity is key—that and an epic batch of slow-simmered meat sauce.

Ingredients

6 pounds ground beef

2 cups chopped onion

16 garlic cloves, minced

12 cans (29 ounces each) tomato sauce

4 cans (18 ounces each) tomato paste

1/4 cup salt

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons each Italian seasoning, dried basil and oregano

13 pounds spaghetti, cooked and drained

Instructions

1 Brown the meat and aromatics

2 Cook the ground beef with the onion and garlic in a large stockpot over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are softened. Drain off any excess grease to keep the spaghetti sauce from becoming oily. Editor's Tip: Depending on the size of your pot, it may be easier to brown the meat in two or three batches. Browning in smaller amounts helps the meat sear instead of steam, which builds deeper flavor.

3 Simmer the sauce

4 Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, sugar and dried herbs. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat, cover it and let it simmer for two to three hours. Stir the sauce occasionally to keep the bottom from scorching.

5 Serve spaghetti to your crowd

6 Spoon the hot sauce over hot, cooked spaghetti and serve it immediately. Editor's Tip: If serving the spaghetti buffet-style, hold the pasta and sauce in separate chafing dishes or large roasters to prevent the noodles from becoming mushy.