Italian Meat Sauce

This is my go-to meat sauce for all things Italian. I use it (with some variations) in lasagna, on pasta, in calzones, on buns for sandwiches… you name it. It uses the simplest of ingredients, goes together easy, and makes the house smell wonderful.

Lasagna

The All-Purpose Mix

As you can tell, I use this for a whole lot of things. All great. This recipe makes a pretty big batch of Italian meat sauce. Since it has so many uses you won’t have any problems using it up. Just follow the recipe section below for adding in the ingredients for each way you can use this sauce. You want a thicker sauce for some dishes, and a thinner sauce with vegetables for others. It’s easy, though, to modify it for darned near anything!

Lasagna
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5 from 1 vote

Italian Meat Sauce

This is my go-to meat sauce for all things Italian. I use it (with some variations) in lasagna, on pasta, in calzones, on buns for sandwiches… you name it. It uses the simplest of ingredients, goes together easy, and makes the house smell wonderful.
Course Sauce
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Italian, sauce, spaghetti
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 315kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

For the meat

  • 2 pounds ground meat for lasagna I use 1 pound Italian sausage and 1 pound ground beef, but for other uses I use 2 pounds Italian sausage
  • 1 large white onion diced
  • 2-4 cloves garlic minced

For calzones, pasta and sandwiches, add:

  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper chopped
  • 8 ounces mushrooms sliced

For the sauce (use half the amounts below if using for lasagna)

Instructions

  • Crumble the meat(s) into a large pot or Dutch oven and brown over medium high heat. Drain fat if desired.
  • Add the onion and cook until softened. If making the sauce for something other than lasagna, also add in the peppers and mushrooms.
  • Add the garlic and cook another minute.
  • Add in all of the sauce ingredients.
  • Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, 1-2 hours.
  • Continue cooking with lid off for another hour, adding a bit more water if the sauce is too thick.

Nutrition

Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 494mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 531IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.