Made from scratch, Italian Meat Sauce is rich and savory from a long slow simmer. Every time I make it, friends and family ask for the recipe.
Ingredients
1PoundGround Beef
1PoundSweet Italian Sausage
2TablespoonsOlive Oil(If Needed)
3CupsOnionsDiced Small and Thin
1Head of GarlicCloves Peeled and Minced
½CupFresh Basil LeavesCut Chiffonade
3TablespoonsDried Oregano
½TeaspoonFine Sea Salt
½TeaspoonFresh Ground Black Pepper
1CupRed WineMalbec, Merlot, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, or Bordeaux
56OuncesCento Brand San Marzano Canned Whole Tomatoes2 Cans
28OuncesCento Brand Tomato Sauce1 Can
1Lemonjuiced (If Needed)
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients. Using a cutting board and knife, chop onions into small and thin dice. Mince garlic and cut basil using the chiffonade method of rolling several leaves together and then thinly slicing the basil. Roughly chop the tomatoes and reserve the sauce. Set all aside.
Sear the Meat. Heat a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and brown well. Use a large slotted spoon to break up the meat as you turn and brown all sides. Remove the browned meat to a medium-sized bowl.Add sweet Italian Sausage to the pot and cook until browned. Continue to use a large slotted spoon to break up the meat as you continue to turn and brown it on all sides. Remove the browned Italian sausage to the bowl containing the browned ground meat.
1 Pound Ground Beef, 1 Pound Sweet Italian Sausage
Sauté. Check the pot to see if there is enough oil from the meat to properly cook the aromatics. If there is very little or no fat, add two tablespoons of olive oil to the pot.Reduce heat to medium-low and add the diced onion. Cook onion until transparent and the fond from cooking the meat has partially released from the bottom of the pan.Add the garlic, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until garlic and herbs are fragrant.
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, 3 Cups Onions, 1 Head of Garlic, ½ Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, 3 Tablespoons Dried Oregano, ½ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt, ½ Teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Deglaze with Wine. Push the aromatics to one side of the pot. Increase heat to medium and add red wine. Stir and scrape the remaining fond from the bottom of the pot and cook gently for 2 to 3 minutes until the alcohol has burned off and the mixture is slightly reduced.
1 Cup Red Wine
Add Tomatoes. Add the chopped tomatoes including the sauce from the cans of the tomatoes, the can of tomato sauce, and the browned ground beef and Italian sausage. Stir well.
Simmer. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to low heat and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally. Skim foam, if necessary. After, simmering for an hour, taste the sauce and add lemon juice and additional salt, if needed. Continue to simmer for 1 hour more.
1 Lemon
Serve or Store. The sauce is now ready to be served or stored. Serve with your favorite cooked pasta. Or to store, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate promptly.
Video
Notes
My Top Tips♡ Be sure to withhold some of the pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce. Pasta water has some of the starch from cooking the pasta and when added in small quantities, helps to keep the body of the sauce from becoming too thin.♡ Use this sauce with a heartier pasta, like cut rigatoni, penne, bucatini, pappardelle, or fettuccine. Its rich thick texture is best with these types of pasta. But it is also fantastic in baked pasta dishes like lasagna.Substitutions& VariationsSubstitution for Italian Sausage - Use Half Ground Beef and Half Ground PorkAdd Fennel - Thinly sliced fennel bulb can be added with the diced onions.Add Mushrooms - Sliced baby portabella mushrooms can be added with the diced onions.Add Rosemary - Rosemary can be added with the rest of the seasonings. (My Mom’s special touch)Make it Vegetarian - This Italian sauce can also be made meatless. Add 3 tablespoons of butter at the finish of the sauce.Make it Vegan - A vegan variation can be made with mushrooms and no meat and no butter.
Make-Ahead & StorageThis Italian Meat Sauce gets even better when made ahead. It will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.