There’s just something about homemade meat sauce that makes a house smell like a home. I love my classic bolognese sauce, but recently I’ve been making this saucier version with half the meat and a secret ingredient: parmesan in the sauce! I really could eat this every Sunday.
This is much less thick than bolognese and it heats up very well if you have some leftover. It always freezes well to put away for a rainy day.
I made this for my parents and they loved it. My dad is a tough critic so if he loves a dish, you know it’s amazing.
The Best Meat Sauce for Pasta
1 pound low-fat ground beef (93%)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
2 15-oz cans tomato sauce
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp (ish) oregano, salt, and pepper
1 Tbsp parmesan
Fresh basil (at least three sprigs!)
1 lbs pasta
8 oz (or more!) good quality Parmesan cheese
- Brown the beef with onion over medium heat.
- Remove access grease with a ladle.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, then add tomato sauce, tomato paste, dried basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper and stir thoroughly.
- Fill tomato paste can twice with water and add to pot. It will be watery, but don’t panic! It has hours to cook down.
- Drop the temperature down to medium-low, cover and let simmer for at least two hours.
- Check it after two hours. Add water to thin it out or leave lid off for a little bit if it seems too thin.
- Let simmer for another hour or so.
- Add a tablespoon of grated parmesan and freshly torn basil to sauce.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, drain the pasta and ladle sauce over pasta.
- Top with grated parmesan and a bit more freshly torn basil. Add a sprig of basil for a grand finish. Enjoy!
Watch me make it:
Happy cooking,
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Just made this tonight. My husband had seconds. He hardly ever, has seconds. Yum! Thank you for sharing your recipe!