Red Meat Sauce



We used to do Italian Sunday's back when the Sopranos came on every Sunday at 10pm ... and this was one of the things I always had on standby in the freezers ...

It also happens to be the ONE thing that I am in charge of making whenever we run out ... normally Hubby will try to out do me, but not on this one ... this is the ONE thing I am 100% responsible for making! Sweet. I have him one upped!

So ... just a reminder ... Hubby does NOT like chunky cooked tomatoes. Totally turns him off the dish if it happens.

And ... he has this bay leaf phobia thing ... if there is a piece of bay leaf floating around, he will get it, bite it and totally flip out. I know this for a fact. First time, amuzing, second time, frightning ;-)

Needless to say, I like to start this when he's still sleeping or just out of the house!

You will need several hours for it to simmer and get happy so don't expect to start this at 5pm for chowing by 6, ain't happening!

This makes a fairly large batch of sauce, intentionally. I freeze several bags in the freezer (lay them flat so that they will defrost faster!)

Let's hop to it and get you a pot of sauce simmering!

About 2 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 lbs (or so) Italian sausage (I used 4 to 5 links, and slice through the casing, peel it off and break it up)
1 tsp oregano (dried)
1 tsp marjoram
1 large bay leaf (or 2 to 3 smaller ones)
6 oz tomato paste
3/4 cup water
About 90 ounces crushed tomatoes (3 large cans) ... I just buy one of them Costco sized tomato sauce cans, I think its' 105 ounces? because hubby doesn't do chunky cooked tomatoes) (you can do diced tomatoes if that's your thing OR you can toss diced tomatoes in the food process/blender and make it smooth)
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup loose packed fresh basil, julienned (you know, sliced thin!)

Heat olive oil in LARGE pot. Add onions and garlic, saute for a minute or so to sweat. Then add sausage and cook til no longer pink, breaking up as you go.

Add the remaining ingredients except the fresh basil. Allow to simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.


Once the sauce hits the thickness you like, turn it off and let it cool down a bit. Take the basil (if you remember!) and stir them in to the pot ... honestly, I forgot 80% of the time and it's still pretty damn good without them.

Serve up with your favorite pasta. Freeze excess into serving portions your family uses. I freeze in gallon size bags but think next time I will do quart size ...

Enjoy!

Looking forward to sharing with some of these great parties ... make sure you check them out! Wonderful Wednesday, Hearth & Soul, Fluster Buster Creative Muster,  Show Me What Ya Got, What's Cooking Wednesday, Its a Party!, Works For Me Wednesday, Sugar and Spice, Wake Up Wednesday, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Wednesday Whatsits, Real Fun, Work It Wednesday, Lovely Ladies, Weekly Creative, Domestic Superhero, All Things Thursday, The Weekly Creative, Together on Tuesday, Tasty Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Create It Thursday, Fabulously Frugal Thursday, Crafty Thursday Obsessions,  Showcase Your Talent, Think Tank Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Foodie Friday, Get Real Frugal Friday, Frugal Fridays, Food on Friday, Freakin Did It Friday, Feature Friday, The Pin Junkie, Freedom Friday, Friday Favorite, Foodie Friday, A peek into my paradise, Weekend Social, Foodie Friends Friday, Fun Friday blog hop, Celebrate It!,  Friday Favorites, TGIF BLOG HOP, Weekend Retreat, What’s Shakin, Weekend Wonders, Weekend Potluck, Get Him Feed Anything Goes, Dwell on Fridays, Friday Foodfight, Lil Luna Link Party, Foodie Friday, TGI Friday Friday with Friends, Simple Living Foodie Friday, Inspirations, Weekend Wander, Weekly Roundup, Feature Yourself Saturday, The Party Bunch, Show Off Saturday, I Gotta Create, Show Off Weekend, Show Stopper Saturday, Sweet and Savory, The Weekend Creative, Weekend Potluck, Will Cook For Smiles, Strut Your Stuff Saturday, Saturday Show & Tell, Super Saturday Show & Tell, Say G'day Saturday, Not Bad Sunday, Potluck Party, Sunday Showcase,  Sundae Scoop, Super Sunday, Mop It Up Monday, Merry Monday, Creative Monday, The Scoop, Melt In Your Mouth Monday, Pin It Party,  Made By You Monday, Hunk of Meat Monday,  What’d You Do This Weekend, Marvelous Mess, Making It Cuter, Time To Sparkle, Mealtime Monday, Time To Sparkle, Makin You Crave Monday, Clever Chick, Creative Corner Blog Hop, Make Your Own Monday, Mix it Up Monday,  Save Money Monday, Lou Lou Girls, Inspire Me Monday, In and Out of the Kitchen, Memories, Tasty Tuesdays, Tuesdays At Our Home, How To Tuesday, Handmade Tuesday, Making a Home, Show Me The Goods, Totally Tasty Tuesday, All My Bloggie Friends, Share Your Stuff Tuesday, Tuesday Talent Show, Fat Tuesday, Penny Pinching Party, The Gathering Spot, Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays

Comments

  1. Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken ChickWednesday, November 19, 2014

    Yum, there is nothing like a homemade batch of spaghetti sauce. I also make a big pot and put in the freezer to have on hand.
    Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop! I hope you’ll join us again next week!

    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Michelle BFriday, November 28, 2014

    Love the idea of your Soprano Italian night. And the idea of having a stash of this sauce in the freezer. Have always used ground beef but will have to give Italian sausage a go. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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