Portuguese-Style Beef Spaghetti with Linguiça

1. Preheat a large pan on medium high heat, add the oil then the onion.
2. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir.
3. Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, onion powder, and  garlic powder.
4. Cook the beef until brown, breaking up into small chunks.
5. Add the linguica and cook for 1 minute, using a spatula to break up the chunks.
6. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and beef broth.
7. Add the sugar and bay leaf.
8. Stir and allow it to come to a boil.
9. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times during this period.
10. While sauce simmers, cook spaghetti according to package direction.
11. Drain the spaghetti and serve the sauce over the pasta, garnished with chopped basil.

*Ground linguica is precooked sausage. If you are substituting with an uncooked sausage, add it to the skillet at the same time as the ground beef.

Recipe & Photo Credit: In Good Flavor, blogher.com