Italian Meat Sauce

Italian meat sauce simmered for several hours with sweet tomatoes, red wine, ground beef, and spicy Italian sausage. It's a hearty and rich sauce with a robust flavor perfect for serving with pasta, layering into lasagnas, or adding to your favorite Italian dishes!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Italian meat sauce

Freezer Friendly Yes

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 4

Total Time 4 25

Servings cups

Calories 167kcal

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground beef
1 lb spicy Italian sausage, or you can use sweet Italian sauce or ground pork, or 1/2 pound of sweet and 1/2 pound of spicy sausage
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup dry red wine
3 cans 28 oz San Marzano tomatoes, with juices
1 large Parmigiano Reggiano rind
salt & black pepper to taste

Instructions

Use your hands to crush the tomatoes: Add the whole peeled tomatoes to a large bowl (rinse the cans with a little water if any tomato juices are still left behind in the cans). Use your hands to crush the tomatoes, while also using your other hand to shield from any juices that may splatter.
Saute the onions and garlic: In a large pot or Dutch oven, saute the diced onion in olive oil for about 3 minutes with a healthy pinch of salt. The onions should just be soft, not browned. Then add the minced garlic and saute with the onions for 30-60 seconds.
Cook the sausage and beef. Then add the ground beef and sausage with another generous pinch of salt and cook until completely browned and no longer pink. Then add the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the red wine and cook with the meat for another 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and simmer: Next, add the tomatoes with the juices with the meat along with the parmigiano rind. Season with another healthy pinch of salt and black pepper then partially cover and simmer on the lowest setting for 4 hours, stirring occasionally (I like to stir every 20-30 minutes).
Taste then serve: When the sauce is finished, taste it, add any additional salt and pepper if needed, then discard the Parmigiano rinds and serve!
Herbs: If you'd like to add fresh herbs, add 2 Tablespoons of freshly chopped basil at the end before serving the sauce!

Video

Notes

How long it keeps - This leftover sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Or freeze it in a ziplock freezer-bag or soup cube trays for 2-3 months.

Nutrition