Every now and then you need a good hit of nostalgia. I've really been feeling it lately, so I'm on a kick off recreating some of the dishes I grew up eating in diners and other mom n pop restaurants in the 80s and 90s. This was one of my favorites! Rich, meaty tomato sauce ladled over top your spaghetti and served up with those old shakers of cheese dust and red pepper flakes and a slice of garlic toast. It wasn't fancy, but it was good.

For the sauce I used a can of crushed tomatoes, half an onion, four cloves of garlic, dried basil, salt, and a bit of sugar. Browned up some ground beef, added the diced onions and garlic, cooked until the onions went soft, deglazed with water, added the tomatoes and basil, and let it simmer for the afternoon. Finished it with a bit of sugar to cut against the acidity of the tomatoes, and adjusted the seasoning with a bit more salt. For the garlic toast, I made a spread with butter, lots of fresh garlic, a bit of salt, some paprika, and fresh parsley. Spread out on both sides of your bread and chuck it into a 425f oven on a parchment lined sheet pan. 7-9 minutes per side. Done. (Diners, though, would often do the garlic toast on a flat top griddle)

Side note: before people get all up in arms saying it's better to toss your noodles with the sauce in a pan, I know. I'm a chef with decades of experience and I made my bones early in my career working in Italian restaurants. I'm going for a very particular feel in this dish, though. This is diner food, not Italian. Cheers!