For dinner, I’m making lasagna. And, I was tempted to go the easy route and use jarred sauce, but I changed my mind and decided to make a big batch (way more than I needed for the lasagna) of homemade meat sauce.

I started with an onion and a green bell pepper. I chopped both to about similar size.

In a large dutch oven, I added some olive oil and warmed it through. Then I added in the garlic, onion, bell pepper, dried basil, Italian seasoning and salt. I cooked until the vegetables started to soften.

We are a house that loves a lot of meat in our meat sauce, so I added in 1 lb of Italian sausage and 2 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef. I cooked until the meat was browned.

Finally, I added in the tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. I brought the sauce up to a boil. I added in the wine, bay leaves and fresh basil – reduced the heat to simmer and let it simmer for about 4 hours.

1 glass for the sauce and 1 glass for me!

I did take care to stir it ever so often, so it didn’t stick to the bottom of the dutch oven.

When the sauce is done, it will have reduced by about 1/3 or so – simmer with the lid off.

Homemade Meat Sauce

1 lb Italian sausage
2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato sauce
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon, just because it is my fave!)
2 – 3 tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tsp olive oil

• Chop onion and pepper
• In large pot, add olive oil and warm up
• Add in onion, garlic, bell pepper, dried basil, Italian seasoning and salt – cook until the vegetables start to soften
• Add in sausage and ground beef, cook til browned
• Add in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and stir through – bring to a boil
• Add in wine, bay leaves and fresh basil
• Reduce heat to a simmer and allow it to simmer for about 4 hours.

Stir occassionally, to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom.