Pasta and a Meat Sauce

Ingredients  

1	Onion, chopped
1 tbsp	Olive Oil
1 lb	90% Lean Ground Beef
1	small green bell pepper, diced
28 ox	Diced Tomatoes
4	Cloves of Garlic, minced
16 oz	Tomato Sauce
8 oz	Tomato Paste
2 tbsp	Oregano
1 tsp	Salt
1/2 tsp	Ground Black Pepper
2 tsp	Basil
11/2 cups	Beef Broth

Method  

Combine ground beef, onion, garlic, 

and (green) pepper in a large saucepan. 

Cook and stir until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain grease.

Stir diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste into the pan. 

Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. 

Simmer spaghetti sauce for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

After the sauce has started simmering, start a pot of water, lightly salted, on high heat to get it to boiling. Once there turn it down enough to keep it bubbling.

Then take your pasta, prepare it if needed, and add it to the boiling water. Follow the cooking instructions for the pasta, trying to time it to be ready a little before the sauce.

Bueno Appetito !!

Pasta and Meat!!

Meat and Pasta 

Thanks to Katie Workman (themom100.com) for this one!

• 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound fresh pork sausage squeezed from the casing
• 1 ½ cups chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Big glug or two of red or white wine if you have a bottle open 
• 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes preferably in puree
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional

• In a large saucepot, heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add both the ground beef and the sausage together and cook, stirring frequently, and breaking up the meat so that it’s very crumbly and browned throughout, about 4 to 6 minutes.  Turn it into a strainer and let it the fat drain off.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same pot over medium heat (don’t clean it!  All those little bits of flavor from the meat will season the sauce). Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, oregano and basil and cook, stirring for 2 more minutes, until you can smell the garlic and herbs. Add the wine, if using, and stir for one more minute, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom, until the wine pretty much evaporates.
• Add the canned tomatoes and red pepper flakes if using, and stir to combine everything.  Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Add the browned meat, lower the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.  Taste, and season gently with the salt and pepper (the sausages provide a whole lot of seasoning).