Slow-Simmered Meat & Veggie Sauce

From For The Love of Cooking

Growing up, my mom always made homemade pasta sauce.  She would make a huge pot and freeze most of it for later use.  As I got older, though, she found a store brand that we all liked, and switched to that.  So when I moved out on my own, I bought the same store brand (a meatless variety).  But last year, I stumbled across this meat sauce and decided to give it a try.  I am so glad that I did.  It is amazing.  From the meat to the veggies to the fresh herbs, it is just full of flavor!  I could make a meal out of this sauce with some crusty bread- it is that good!

It is definitely a nice alternative to the meatless sauce I usually use in all my recipes.  And, it makes enough for at least two meals, possibly more, and freezes well.  Give it a try, I don't think you will be disappointed.  Added bonus: it is an easy way to sneak in some veggies if you have picky kids or husbands (fortunately, I have neither).  

This sauce works perfectly with Spinach Lasagna Rollups.

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 lb lean ground beef

1 sweet yellow onion, diced

3-4 carrots, diced

1/2 cup of roasted bell peppers, drained and diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (more if desired)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup of beef stock

1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes (I use petite diced)

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce

3 tbsp of tomato paste

1-2 tbsp of sugar

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion, and carrot. Cook, stirring often to crumble the beef, until the beef is cooked through. Add roasted bell pepper, garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the beef stock, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar. Stir until well combined. Cover and reduce the heat.  Simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally. Prior to serving, add the fresh basil and parsley and stir to combine.