I haven’t really eaten anything Italian since I got back from Europe. I mean, once you’ve had boar sauce, does anything else really measure up? This week, for our The Bachelorette night, I was craving Italian. This Italian meat sauce is simple and is actually going to feed me all week. Thank goodness for leftovers.
Italian Meat Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1lb. meat – Your choice. I had sausage on hand, but you can also use deer or beef. I would not recommend turkey. I don’t think ground turkey belongs in this kind of sauce.
- 1 1/2 cans Cento crushed tomato sauce – You can use another brand, but this is the best my Italian family has found.
- 1 onion
- Garlic, minced
- Italian Seasoning
- Parsley
- Basil
- Pepper
- Whole Oregano
Directions:
Grab a large sauce pan and larger skillet. Add olive oil, half a diced onion and minced garlic to each. Heat until onions are translucent.
Add meat to the skillet and Cento sauce to the sauce pan.
Season both with the “Holy Grail” of Italian seasonings. I’ve realized, in my cooking, I generally season something until I can smell the seasoning.
Cook meat thoroughly and add to a large saucepan, or a crock pot (time permitting). The sauce is more delicious the longer it cooks/simmers, which is why I went for the crock pot. It cooked together for about 90 minutes.
That’s all! I told you it was easy. Depending on the fat content of your meat, you may need to drain it. Now, I didn’t just eat meat sauce, though that sounds delicious. Now I want garlic bread and a big bowl of the meat sauce.
I cooked some cavatappi (fat, curly noodles), and added it to the crock pot for about the last 30 minutes. Since I love things saucy, I would most likely add the full second can of sauce. This is enough to comfortably cover a full pound of pasta.
One of my favorite staples to keep in my fridge is ricotta cheese. It’s delicious to add to everything. Simply season it with the Holy Grail mentioned above, and use it as you see fit! It’s also super handy because it just goes back into the container it came from. One tip, don’t buy store brand ricotta. I tried that, and it was just sad.
This is such a good meat sauce. Now, this is not the family recipe. That will stay with me forever.
