Meat Sauce
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
30 mins
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Total Time
45 mins
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Servings
6 servings
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Calories
435 kcal
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Course
Condiments, Dinner
Meat Sauce
Description
This Meat Sauce starts by cooking finely chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until softened and fragrant. Ground beef is then browned with sea salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper for a touch of heat. Tomato paste is added next and cooked until it caramelizes slightly, providing concentrated tomato flavor. Red wine or broth is used to deglaze the pan, lifting flavorful browned bits and mellowing sharpness.
Canned whole peeled tomatoes are crushed and stirred in along with dried basil, parsley, oregano, and bay leaf, creating a complex herbal aroma. The sauce simmers gently for at least 30 minutes to develop a thick, luscious texture and thoroughly meld the flavors. It pairs well with a variety of pasta shapes, most commonly spaghetti, for a classic meat sauce dish.
The sauce can be stored refrigerated for up to five days or frozen without pasta for longer keeping. Adjust seasoning and herbs to taste, and drain excess fat after browning meat if desired to reduce greasiness.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion about 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef 85 or 90% (may substitute bulk Italian sausage, sweet or spicy)
- ¾ teaspoon salt fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper cracked
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup red wine or substitute chicken, beef, or vegetable broth or stock, dry
- ¼ cup water
- 28 oz whole peeled tomatoes canned
- 2 teaspoons dried basil or 10 torn basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon parsley dried
- ½ teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 bay leaf dried
- 8-12 oz pasta for serving - I like spaghetti
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Once shimmering, add onion and cook until softened (about 3 minutes).
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- 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.
- Add tomato paste and sugar to the pan and cook, stirring near-constantly until tomato paste is browned/caramelized (about 1-2 minutes).
- 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).
- Add water and tomatoes, breaking/crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon or metal spatula as you cook.
- 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.
- 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).
- Serve, topped with parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Store sauce in airtight containers refrigerated up to five days.
- Freeze sauce for several months, preferably without cooked pasta.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition 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.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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