Meat Sauce

User Reviews

5.0

48 reviews
Excellent

Meat Sauce

Spaghetti with meat sauce is the perfect weeknight dinner! My meat sauce recipe packs a punch of flavor and even freezes well for future meals. Recipe includes a how-to video!

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Ingredients

Servings
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic 
  • 1 lb ground beef 85 or 90% (may substitute bulk Italian sausage, sweet or spicy)
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cracked pepper
  • teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
  • cup dry red wine (or substitute chicken, beef, or vegetable broth or stock)
  • ¼ cup water
  • 28 oz canned whole peeled tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil or 10 torn basil leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 8-12 oz pasta for serving - I like spaghetti
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Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.
  2. Once shimmering, add onion and cook until softened (about 3 minutes).
  3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
  4. Add ground beef and sprinkle the salt, black pepper, and crushed pepper overtop. Cook, crumbling, until meat is browned. Drain excess grease if/as needed.
  5. Add tomato paste and sugar to the pan and cook, stirring near-constantly until tomato paste is browned/caramelized (about 1-2 minutes).
  6. Drizzle red wine into the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Cook until the wine is reduced by about half and you can no longer smell the alcohol so strongly (about 3-5 minutes).
  7. Add water and tomatoes, breaking/crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon or metal spatula as you cook.
  8. Add basil, parsley, and oregano and bay leaf and stir until combined and bay leaf is submerged. Simmer at least 30 minutes with an offset lid, stirring occasionally.
  9. If serving with pasta, begin cooking pasta according to package instructions while the sauce is simmering. You can serve the meat sauce over the portioned pasta or combine the two together before serving. If mixing together, reserve ¼ cup pasta water then drain remaining water from the pasta. Add pasta to meat sauce along with a splash of pasta reserved pasta water, stir well, and simmer until sauce clings to noodles (just several minutes).
  10. Serve, topped with parmesan cheese if desired.
Equipments used:

Notes

  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This dish also freezes well for several months (best to freeze without pasta).

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Serving 1serving Calories 435kcal (22%) Carbohydrates 40g (13%) Protein 20g (40%) Fat 21g (32%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 10g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 54mg (18%) Sodium 578mg (24%) Potassium 646mg (18%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 256IU (5%) Vitamin C 16mg (18%) Calcium 80mg (8%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 435 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 435kcal 22%
Carbohydrates 40g 13%
Protein 20g 40%
Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 10g 50%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 54mg 18%
Sodium 578mg 24%
Potassium 646mg 14%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 8g 16%
Vitamin A 256IU 5%
Vitamin C 16mg 18%
Calcium 80mg 8%
Iron 4mg 22%

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

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5.0

48 reviews
Excellent

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