1950s California Spaghetti sauce | Vintage Family Dinner

Hot, meaty, spaghetti sauce — simmering with rich, savory ground beef, fragrant herbs, and delicious tomatoes.

Growing up, my father’s favorite dinner was spaghetti with garlic bread and tossed salad, so we had it a lot. Especially important was that spaghetti dinner contained no canned peas — the bane of my father’s growing-boy existence.

California-Style Spaghetti Sauce

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In 1950s middle-class kitchens, red sauce reigned supreme.

After World War II, Italian-American cuisine surged in popularity, thanks to returning soldiers, booming cities, and the rise of supermarkets carrying canned tomatoes and pasta. Spaghetti dinners were accessible, and, flavored with oregano, garlic, and meat, they became a staple on the weekly menu. Italian-American food was comfort food with flair, hearty and flavorful but easy to stretch for a growing family.

Spaghetti night could be a bit of flair and glamour, too, with a checkered tablecloth and some Dean Martin on the stereo.

Meanwhile, California cuisine — where my dad grew up — was fresh, sunny, and seasonal. Meals started with a green salad, rather than serving salad at the end. San Francisco sourdough was a favorite up and down the coast.

This recipe comes from Genevieve Callahan’s 1946 California Cookbook.

The ingredients you’ll need are:

• Garlic
• Onion
• Oil — you can use olive; I use sunflower oil for everything
• Celery
• Ground beef
• Red wine
• Canned tomatoes 
• Sugar
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh basil

Serve This With:

Cranberry shrub
Spaghetti sauce over hot pasta with parmesan cheese
Garlic bread
Tossed green salad with French dressing
Chilled pears and cheese