Description
A rich and flavorful Italian pasta sauce made with ground beef and Italian sausage.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound Italian sausage (see note)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon white sugar (see note)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Add the oil and onion to a pot, Dutch oven, or braiser and sauté over medium-high heat for 4 minutes.
- Add in the ground beef and sausage meat and cook it, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along, until browned (about 8-10 minutes). Spoon out some of the excess fat (I leave a few tablespoons in for flavor).
- Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, Italian seasoning, oregano, sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes. When it starts to bubble, reduce the heat, cover the pot with the lid slightly open, and simmer for at least 30 minutes (up to an hour or even more if desired – the longer you cook it, the more flavorful it’ll become). Stir it occasionally during this time, and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a simmer (between low and medium-low on my stove). Thin with extra beef broth if needed.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed (I am generous with both), and serve over pasta.
Notes
- For the Italian sausage, you can use mild or spicy depending on your preference.
- The longer you simmer the sauce, the better the flavor will be.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 70mg