Sunday Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
A slow-simmered meat sauce with beef, Italian sausage, crushed tomatoes and a Parmesan rind, tossed with spaghetti the right way.
- Everyday Classics
- Cast iron / Dutch oven
- Beef
- Dinner
- 120 min total
- Serves 6
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
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Original recipe serves 6. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef, 85/15
- 1/2 lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely grated
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry red wine, or beef broth
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1 can
- 15 oz tomato sauce, 1 can
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp sugar, only if the tomatoes taste sharp
- 1 Parmesan rind, optional
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
Steps
Step 1: Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the beef and sausage and break it up. Cook without stirring for 3 minutes so it browns, then stir and cook until no pink remains and some bits are crusty, about 8 minutes total. Spoon off excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon.
Step 2: Add the onion and carrot and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, stirring, until the paste darkens.
Step 3: Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom. Simmer until mostly gone, about 2 minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, dried basil, pepper flakes, salt and Parmesan rind. Bring to a bubble, then turn to low.
Step 5: Simmer partly covered for 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until thick and rich. Taste and add sugar or salt if needed. Fish out the rind.
Step 6: Boil the spaghetti in well-salted water until 1 minute short of the package time. Save 1 cup of pasta water and drain.
Step 7: Put the spaghetti back in the pot with 2 big ladles of sauce, the butter and a splash of pasta water. Toss over medium heat 1 minute until the sauce clings.
Step 8: Serve topped with more sauce, Parmesan and fresh basil.
Swaps
- Meat: All beef, or swap in ground turkey with an extra tablespoon of olive oil.
- Spicy: Use hot Italian sausage.
- Slow cooker: After step 3, move everything to a slow cooker and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours.
Tips
- The grated carrot melts into the sauce and balances the acidity of the tomatoes naturally.
- The sauce is even better the next day and freezes well for 3 months.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Every family has a spaghetti sauce, and every family thinks theirs is the best. I’m not here to start a war. I’m just here to tell you mine has sausage in it, and yours probably should too.
Long, slow simmering is what turns tomatoes and ground meat into a real Sunday sauce. The flavors blend, the sauce thickens, and the meat gets tender. Browning the meat hard first and cooking down the tomato paste build deep, savory flavor right at the start. If you have a Parmesan rind in the fridge, toss it in. It slowly melts flavor into the sauce like a secret ingredient.
The last trick: finish the pasta in the sauce. A splash of starchy pasta water and a pat of butter help the sauce cling to every strand, so you’re not left with a pile of naked noodles and a puddle of sauce at the bottom of the bowl.
HAM out.
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