Ingredients

The following ingredients have 8 Servings
  • 8 ounces ground meat (beef, pork, lamb, turkey, etc.)
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon fennel
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder (or red pepper flakes)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon white vinegar (or apple cider, rice, etc.)
  • 1 small onion (minced)
  • 4 ounces mushrooms (minced)
  • 1 medium carrot (minced)
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 28 oz canned tomatoes (depending on how tomato-y you like it! I like 2 14 ounce cans, some prefer 4!)
  • ½ cup water or broth (or 2 broth cubes and 1/4 cup water)

Instruction

  • Add ground beef to a large pot over medium-high heat and brown on all sides. (If using a leaner meat, be sure to add a tablespoon of olive oil or butter to the pot first.) You want it to get a little dark and crispy on the bottom. Stir in the spices and mix well.
  • Using your food processor (recommended) or a sharp knife/box grater, etc., finely mince the carrot, onion, garlic, and mushrooms.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low. Add chopped vegetables and cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft and fragrant. If your pot is tall, not wide, this may take closer to 15 minutes.
  • Push the meat and vegetables to the side and “deglaze” the pan by adding the vinegar (or white wine) and scraping up the brown bits. This is the good stuff!
  • Add the canned tomato, tomato paste, and 1/2 cup water or broth and stir well.
  • Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to make sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom.
  • After an hour, the sauce is ready - but you can certainly cook it for much longer if you’d prefer. I’d say 1-3 hours should do the trick. If you like a strong tomato-flavored sauce, you can cook it for just 30 minutes, but for a milder, less acidic sauce, cook for at least 1 hour.
  • Note: if the sauce sticks, reduce the heat, stir it well and add a little broth or water.