I have been wanting to make a homemade meat sauce for ages as it is one of my husband's favorites meals. Today the weather cooled down a bit and a spaghetti night on the back porch was starting to sound great, so I picked up the essentials at the market. Unlike most of the recipes I post about, this one can’t be whipped up quickly, but what it lacks in speed, it makes up for in flavor. Promise. Any time I use meat in a red sauce, I can't resist adding some red wine to add just one more layer of flavor. So today I introduce my cabernet meat sauce. If you prefer to omit the wine, you could substitute broth in its place. Serve this sauce over long pasta or spaghetti squash with lots of red pepper flakes, Italian parsley and parmesan cheese if desired.
What You Need:
1 lb lean ground turkey (or ground meat of your choice)
2 – 28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes in juice (San Marzano)
1 – 6 oz can tomato paste
½ brown onion, very finely chopped
1 carrot, very finely chopped
1 cup cabernet sauvignon
3 cloves garlic, minced (or to taste)
1 bay leaf (dried or fresh)
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt, divided
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, divided
Red pepper flakes, Italian parsley and parmesan cheese (optional)
What To Do:
Heat the oil in a large high sided skillet over medium heat and sauté onion and carrot for 6 minutes, adding the garlic during the last minute of cooking. Season with ¼ tsp salt and pepper.
Add turkey to the pan and turn up the heat to medium high. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and season with remaining salt and pepper. Cook for 6 minutes.
Next, add tomato paste into the center of the pan and cook for 2 minutes.
Gently fold the tomato paste in with the meat mixture and add wine. Allow the alchohol in the wine to cook off for about 3-4 minutes or until thickened.
Carefully add the tomatoes. Using your hand or the back of a wooden spoon, break up whole tomatoes into small pieces.
Simmer sauce for 1 hour or until desired thickness.
Serves 4 - 6
Bon Appetit!
Mary
