Italian Meat Sauce

Italian Meat Sauce: rich bolognese with ground beef, sweet Italian sausage & San Marzano tomatoes, slow-simmered to savory perfection!

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings Cups

Author Jan Nunes

Ingredients

1 Pound Ground Beef
1 Pound Sweet Italian Sausage
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (If Needed)
3 Cups Onions Diced Small and Thin
1 Head of Garlic Cloves Peeled and Minced
½ Cup Fresh Basil Leaves Cut Chiffonade
3 Tablespoons Dried Oregano
½ Teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
½ Teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Cup Red Wine Malbec, Merlot, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, or Bordeaux
56 Ounces Cento Brand San Marzano Canned Whole Tomatoes 2 Cans
28 Ounces Cento Brand Tomato Sauce 1 Can
1 Lemon juiced (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.
56 Ounces Cento Brand San Marzano Canned Whole Tomatoes, 28 Ounces Cento Brand Tomato Sauce
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.

Notes

My Top Tip

Withhold some of the pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce. Pasta water contains some of the starch from cooking the pasta, and when added in small quantities, it helps keep the sauce's body from becoming too thin.

Make-Ahead & Storage

This 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.

Nutrition

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