Italian Meat Sauce (or Gravy)

This easy Italian Meat Sauce is perfect when making Lasagna or Baked Ziti or whenever you just want to add a little meat to a Marinara sauce.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 5

Servings

Calories 646kcal

Author Tom DeVincenzo

Cost 15

Equipment

Large Dutch oven

Ingredients

2 medium onions chopped
4 cloves garlic minced or halved
2 lb ground beef
2 lb Italian ground sausage hot or sweet
2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato puree
14 oz water
1 handful fresh basil chopped
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or sauce pot. Once heated, add the chopped onions. Cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften.
Add the garlic (you can either mince the garlic and leave it in the sauce during cooking, or you can halve the garlic and remove it after you cook it for about a minute with the onions).
Add the ground beef and sausage. Break up and cook until browned.
Add the canned crushed tomatoes, puree and water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the chopped basil.
Bring to a boil, then drop the heat, cover and simmer on low for at least 30 minutes but preferably at least 2 hours.

Notes

This recipe makes enough for the entire extended family! You can always freeze whatever is left over or just add 1lb of beef and 1 lb of sausage along with only 1 can of crushed tomatoes with the puree and cut down on the servings.

I always like to make a lot. To me, it's better to have too much than not enough...not to mention we're definitely a leftover family!

Buon appetito!

Nutrition