Thanks to the discovery of a YouTube channel called Pasta Grannies, my sauce recipe has evolved a little over the years, for the better. Those Nonnas sure know what they’re doing and with tweaks picked up from watching them, this sauce has easily become one of our household favorites. It can be made with or without meat and then canned in quart portions to make preparing supper as easy as popping open a jar and boiling some pasta. We enjoy it with spaghetti noodles, in lasagna and in eggplant and chicken parmesan. There are a million twists you can put on it so lets get started!
Traditional Meat Sauce
This easy to make sauce can be canned to make supper time as easy as popping the lid and heating!
Servings: 7 Quarts
Ingredients
- 16 Cups Diced, stewed Tomatoes with skin removed *or (2) 102 ounce cans found in the bulk food section
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 Tablespoons Chopped Garlic
- 1 Large Chopped Onion
- 1/2 Cup Dried Parsley
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
- 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
- 1 Roasted Poblano Pepper *or 1 teaspoon dried, crushed Red Pepper
- Pinch Thyme *generous Pinch
- Pinch Ground Rosemary *generous Pinch
- Pinch Ground Nutmeg *generous Pinch
- 4 teaspoons Salt
- 2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Milk
- 2 - 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 Lb Lean Ground Beef, browned
- 1 Lb Ground, Sweet Italian Sausage, browned
Instructions
- Split the Poblano Pepper in half and remove seeds. Place in skillet with olive oil and roast both sides until pepper is soft.
- Add chopped onion to skillet with roasted pepper and saute together until onions turn slightly translucent. Add garlic and saute another minute.
- Add tomatoes and milk and bring sauce to a boil, then turn heat to low.
- Add remaining ingredients (except meats) and stir. Let simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
- Remove Bay Leaves and discard. Puree cooked sauce in the pot with an immersion blender. Leave chunks as desired or puree completely.
- Stir in browned meats and return to simmer for an additional hour.
- Prepare 7 quart size canning jars and lids.
- Fill jars with sauce, leaving 1 inch head space, remove any air bubbles and wipe rims well. (a little white vinegar on your wiping rag will take care of any oil from the sauce) Attach lids and process quarts in a PRESSURE canner at 11 pounds of pressure for 70 minutes. (for 0 - 2000 ft altitude. adjust pounds of pressure for your region using guidelines from a reputable canning source)
- Remove rings before storing jars. Do not stack. Home canned sauce will have a shelf life of approximately one year.
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