Simple Italian Meat Sauce cooks up quickly for a pasta dinner or to save as the base for a nice pan of lasagna. This sauce uses butter and a little milk, so it’s sort of like a bolognese, but only takes 45-60 minutes.
I like the fact that it includes shredded sweet carrots to offset the acid in the tomatoes. This sauce will find a home paired with any substantial pasta noodle: spaghetti, rigatoni, penne or mostaccioli, sure to become a family favorite.
Simple Italian Meat Sauce
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Quick and full-flavored, this Italian meat sauce is sure to become a family favorite.
Author: Grannie Geek, Linda Solberg
Recipe type: Meat Sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 carrot, grated (about ½ cup
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 28-oz can pureed or crushed Italian tomatoes
- ½ cup milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil in a 5-quart dutch oven or other large saucepan.
- Add the carrot, onion, and garlic. Stir and saute until the onion becomes transparent, 5 minutes or so. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper.
- Add the ground beef, and continue to cook until the beef is cooked through and there is no longer any pink color to the meat, 5-10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, milk, bay leaf, basil, thyme and nutmeg, and pinches of salt and pepper.
- Simmer for 20 minutes. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- Cook pasta noodles according to package directions and serve.
Notes
Serve on individual plates or bowls, or on a platter topped with meat sauce for serving family style. Have plenty of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese on hand, crunchy Italian bread, and crisp salad dressed with a light vinaigrette.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 4
