Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce is one of my favorite comfort foods and a staple in the cooler months. I love the smell of a big pot of spaghetti sauce simmering away on the stove.  It makes the entire house smell sooooooo good!

During the summer when tomatoes are at their peak I usually make a fresh, no cook tomato basil sauce, but when the weather starts to cool down my favorite spaghetti sauce is this meat sauce (would that be a bolognese or ragu?). I let the sauce simmer several hours for a full, rich flavor.  I first learned how to make this sauce from my mom when I was a teenager and still make it pretty much the same way.

This recipe uses a jar of prepared spaghetti sauce from the grocery store.  Don’t freak. That’s just how I’ve made my spaghetti sauce for years and have never tried to substitute anything else.  If you’d rather not use a jarred sauce, add some pureed tomatoes, but be sure to adjust the seasonings accordingly. It’s also one of those things I like to make a big batch of and freeze in smaller portions to have on hand for nights when I just don’t feel like cooking… Spaghetti with Meat Sauce to the rescue!

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

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Ingredients

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• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. ground beef
• 2 Italian sausage links (sweet or hot, whichever is your favorite)
• 1 1/2 onions, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced (can use any color bell pepper)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce
• 1 lg. can diced tomatoes
• 1 8oz. box mushrooms, sliced
• 1 C. red wine
• 1 Tbls. dried oregano
• 1 Tbls. dried basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/2 C. grated parmesan cheese
• Optional: Parmesan cheese rind

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Instructions

1. Heat a little olive oil in large pot, and add ground beef and sausage (casings removed). Break apart and add onions, bell pepper and garlic, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Continue to cook until beef is browned and cooked.
2. Add prepared jar of spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, wine, oregano, basil, bay leaves, and fennel. If you have a rind from parmesan cheese, toss that in as well. Cover (leave lid ajar a bit) and simmer for a couple hours, stirring occasionally and tasting to adjust seasonings as needed. About halfway through cooking, add grated parmesan cheese. Remove bay leaves before serving.
3. Note: If your sauce tastes a little bitter from the tomatoes, add a little sugar to taste.