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4.8 from 15 votes

Italian Meat Sauce

Incredible Italian meat sauce for pasta with ground meat and tomatoes, a classic recipe for one of the most popular Italian recipes ever!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 585 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Sauce:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 1 lb ground meat 500 g, half beef, half pork, Note 1
  • ½ cup milk 125 ml
  • 1 jar tomato passata passata di pomodoro 700-800 g/ 24 oz, Note 2
  • 2 whole basil leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • fine sea salt and pepper
Flavoring:
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 basil leaves
  • 1 garlic clove
  • pasta and Parmesan for serving

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Saute onion: Heat the oil in a large skillet. Fry the finely chopped onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.2 tablespoons olive oil + 1 onion
  2. Add the ground meat and break the lumps with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat high, add the milk, and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated.1 lb ground meat/ 500 g + ½ cup milk/ 125 ml
  3. Add the passata. Pour about ½ cup/ 125 ml water into the bottle of passata, shake it to clean the tomato sauce from the walls of the jar, and pour the water into the pot. Add the whole basil leaves, grated garlic, tomato paste, and some salt and pepper.1 jar tomato passata + 2 whole basil leaves + 2 garlic cloves + 1 tablespoon tomato paste + fine sea salt and pepper
  4. Simmer Italian sauce: Bring the sauce to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover with a lid, leaving it a bit ajar, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and continue simmering for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
  5. Flavoring: Add the remaining olive oil, minced garlic, and torn basil leaves to the dish while the sauce is still hot, and stir well. Cover and let stand for a few minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.1-2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 basil leaves + 1 garlic clove
  6. Serve Italian meat sauce: If making the sauce in advance, only add the flavorings after reheating, just before serving. Serve with pasta or gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmesan before serving. pasta and Parmesan

Notes

  • Ground meat: You can use only beef or only pork if you like.
  • Passata can be replaced with the same amount of tomatoes from a can (without any flavorings or additions) blended with an immersion blender or in a food processor.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1/4 of the dish Calories 585kcal (29%) Carbohydrates 24g (8%) Protein 38g (76%) Fat 38g (58%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Polyunsaturated Fat 24g Cholesterol 117mg (39%) Sodium 474mg (20%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 11g (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 585

% Daily Value*

Serving 1/4 of the dish
Calories 585kcal 29%
Carbohydrates 24g 8%
Protein 38g 76%
Fat 38g 58%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Polyunsaturated Fat 24g 141%
Cholesterol 117mg 39%
Sodium 474mg 20%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 11g 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.