Homemade Meat Sauce

The combination of ground beef and spicy Italian sausage makes this homemade meat sauce thick, hearty, and super meaty!

We recently went to the coast for the weekend with some friends and I made an easy homemade meat sauce recipe per their request. The sauce simmered for four hours and made the house smell amazing! I served this hearty meat sauce with rigatoni but it would be excellent with gnocchi or your favorite pasta.

Homemade Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 large button mushrooms, diced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed (optional)
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground spicy Italian sausage
• 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 (28 oz) can of whole tomatoes
• 3-4 basil sprigs (leaves & stems)

How to Make a Homemade Meat Sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, basil, oregano, crushed fennel seed, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes.

Add the ground beef and spicy Italian sausage and cook, stirring often while breaking the meat into crumbles, for 3 minutes; season with a bit more sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Add the dry wine and cook, stirring often, for 5-7 minutes, or until the wine has mostly evaporated.

Add the can of whole tomatoes, breaking them up as you stir; bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and season with a bit more sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Nestle the whole basil sprigs into the sauce and cover with a lid to simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove the basil sprigs and taste sauce then re-season if needed. Serve with pasta of your choice. Enjoy!

Homemade Meat Sauce

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 8

Author: Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Large Dutch oven

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 4 large button mushrooms diced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp fennel seed crushed (optional)
• Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
• ½ lb ground beef
• ½ lb ground spicy Italian sausage
• 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• 1 (28 oz) can of whole tomatoes
• 3-4 basil sprigs leaves & stems

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, basil, oregano, crushed fennel seed, crushed red pepper flakes, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes.
• Add the ground beef and spicy Italian sausage and cook, stirring often while breaking the meat into crumbles, for 3 minutes; season with a bit more sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
• Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Add the dry wine and cook, stirring often, for 5-7 minutes, or until the wine has mostly evaporated.
• Add the can of whole tomatoes, breaking them up as you stir; bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and season with a bit more sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
• Nestle the whole basil sprigs into the sauce and cover with a lid to simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the basil sprigs and taste sauce then re-season if needed. Serve with pasta of your choice. Enjoy!

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