Italian Meat Sauce

Lean beef and pork with onions, garlic, mushrooms in a red wine and tomato sauce. Seasoned with Italian style herbs and simmered several hours until perfect.

Ingredients -

2 pounds Lean Ground Beef
1 pound Ground Pork
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Onions, chopped
1 clove Garlic, crushed
3 cups Red Wine
2 pounds Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
1/4 teaspoon Dried Rosemary
4 tablespoons chopped Fresh Oregano
1/4 teaspoon chopped Fresh Thyme
3 (29 ounce) cans Tomato Sauce
1 (6 ounce) can Tomato Paste
2 tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation:

1. Brown the ground beef and ground pork in large skillet until no longer pink. Use wooden spoon or spatula to crumble meats during cooking. Remove from heat.

2. In separate large, deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.

3. Saute onions and garlic until tender. Stir in ½ cup of red wine. Mix well.

4. Add fresh mushrooms, rosemary, oregano and thyme to skillet and add another 1/2 cup wine; saute until mushrooms are tender.

5. Add browned meats, tomato sauce, tomato paste to vegetable mixture. Simmer 1 hour and add remaining 2 cups wine.

6. Simmer spaghetti sauce on low for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally; serve.

Cooking Tip

Softer Pasta

Pasta made from non-semolina based flours is best suited for casserole dishes and not for tossing with spaghetti sauces as they produce a softer noodle when cooked.

Cooking Tip

How Much Salt to Add

Add two tablespoons of kosher salt to the pasta water (when it reaches a hard boil) for every pound of dry pasta. The salt flavors the pasta. Most of the salt drains off with the water when the pasta is drained.