I do not claim any understanding of good Italian cooking. I’ve never been to Italy – although it is high on my bucket list – and I’ve never studied Italian cuisine (using a French word there is pretty strong evidence of my non-italophile training), but I do like a good pasta sauce.
I also like having food on hand — to make something when I have a little time, put it in the freezer, and pull it out on one of those really crazy evenings for a homemade meal in a flash. This makes enough sauce for 2 large pans of no-boil lasagna (which needs plenty sauce to soften the pasta), and a nice meal of spaghetti for 3-4 people.
Brown the hamburger in a large pot, then remove.
Sauté the onions in olive oil for a couple minutes. Then add the shredded carrots and minced garlic for another minute or two. (This is also the perfect time to add chopped mushrooms. I was making this batch for people who don’t love fungus as much as we do. Sad, but true.)
Pour in some wine. (I like the richness of red wine, but white works just fine. The veggies will take on a strange colour, but don’t worry. It will all be covered up by a glorious mass of tomatoes soon.)
Then add 2 cans of diced tomatoes, the tomato paste, and Italian seasoning, molasses, and bay leaves. (I like using paste in a tube – it’s so convenient!)
A little texture in the sauce is wonderful, so diced tomatoes are perfect. But adding a jar of pasta sauce makes it creamy and rich. And adding vegetables just makes sense – more nutrition, flavour, texture, and moisture. Yummy!
Cover the pot and allow it to simmer for half an hour.
Add the browned burger, shredded zucchini, and parmesan cheese. (I save the rinds from parmesan wedges, and throw one or two of them into the sauce instead of grated cheese.)
Cover and simmer for another half hour. Then stir in the balsamic vinegar and butter.
“Cucinare è una forma d’amore” —- “Cooking is LOVE made visible”
PrintPasta Sauce
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds extra lean ground beef
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 large onions, diced
- 4 large carrots, shredded
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 – 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 jar pasta sauce
- 2 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 Tbsp molasses
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded
- 1–2 parmesan rinds, or 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp butter
Instructions
- In a large pot, brown beef, then remove from pot
- In the same pot, sauté onions in olive oil for 2-3 minutes
- Add shredded carrots and minced garlic and cook another minute
- Deglaze pan with wine
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, molasses, bay leaves, pepper, and jar of pasta sauce
- Cover, and allow to simmer for 1/2 hour
- Add ground beef, shredded zucchini, mushrooms, and parmesan rind, cover and simmer another 1/2 hour
- Remove from heat, and stir in balsamic vinegar and butter
Notes
Makes enough sauce for 2 large pans of lasagna, or a dozen servings of pasta.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
