Description
This Best Meat Sauce recipe is a rich, flavorful, and hearty sauce perfect for pasta nights. Slow-simmered for hours, it blends ground beef, fresh vegetables, and robust seasonings into a comforting classic Italian sauce that’s sure to please any crowd.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Vegetables
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
Seasonings and Liquids
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- ¼ cup dry red wine
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Brown and Sauté: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook it thoroughly, breaking it up into small pieces as it browns. Once browned, add the chopped onion and green bell pepper, cooking them until they are soft and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, pepper, and pour in the dry red wine. Continue cooking until the wine has mostly evaporated, which will help concentration of flavors.
- Simmer: Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer gently for 2 to 3 hours. Stir the sauce occasionally to prevent sticking. If the sauce thickens too much during cooking, thin it by adding a splash of beef broth, chicken broth, or reserved pasta cooking water until the desired consistency is reached.
- Season and Serve: After simmering, taste the sauce and adjust seasonings with more salt or pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaves from the sauce. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve hot over your favorite pasta, optionally topped with Parmesan cheese for extra flavor.
Notes
- Slow simmering the sauce is key for developing deep flavors.
- If you prefer a spicier version, consider adding crushed red pepper flakes along with the Italian seasoning.
- Using dry red wine adds depth; you can substitute with beef broth if preferred.
- For a smoother sauce, blend some of it before serving or longer simmering can help break down ingredients.
- This sauce freezes well for up to 3 months—cool completely before freezing.
