Italian Meat Sauce

1/2 cup onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (16 ounce) cans tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (3 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon MSG, if desired
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup water

Saut onion in hot oil until almost tender. Add meat and garlic; brown lightly. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until sauce is nice and thick, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf.

Serve over hot spaghetti.

Makes 6 servings.

NOTE: You can omit the ground beef. Brown and cook Italian sausage and meatballs. Add to the sauce about the last 30 minutes of cooking until they are well heated through.