Meat Sauce
| Item | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Ground Chuck— 80/20 | 450g (1 lb) |
| Hot Italian Pork Sausage— approx. 2 links, casings removed | 225g (8 oz) |
| White Onion— medium diced | 200g (1 count) |
| Garlic Cloves— minced or pressed | 20g (4 clove) |
| Coarse Salt | 1 tsp |
| Dried Oregano | 1/2 tsp |
| Red Chili Flake | 1/2 tsp |
| Tomato Paste | 75g (1/3 cup) |
| Beef Better Than Bouillon | 15g (1 tbsp) |
| Crushed Tomatoes | 800g (28 oz) |
| Water— or fill empty tomato can ¾ full | 600g (2 1/2 cup) |
| Granulated Sugar | 2 tsp |
| Fresh Basil— chopped | 3 tbsp |
| Olive Oil— for cooking | 15g (1 tbsp) |
Steps
- Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown the ground chuck and Italian pork sausage together, breaking the meat into small, pea-sized pieces.
- Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt to the meat. Cook 3–5 minutes until the onion softens and turns translucent.
- Add the tomato paste and stir constantly for about 2 minutes, until it darkens to a deep, rusty red. If the bottom of the pot starts getting too dark, splash in a little water and scrape it up.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, water, beef bouillon, sugar, oregano, and chili flake. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
- Lower heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and let the sauce reduce for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes — do not skip the lid, as the sauce will splatter everywhere without it.
- The sauce is ready when a spoon dragged through it leaves a slow-closing trail. When in doubt, reduce it a little more.
- Off heat, fold in the fresh basil and taste for salt. Adjust if needed.
Pasta
| Item | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Dry Spaghetti | 454g (1 lb) |
| Olive Oil— for tossing pasta | 15g (1 tbsp) |
| Parmesan Cheese— for garnish | 50g (1/2 cup) |
Steps
- Cook the spaghetti in boiling water 10–12 minutes, or per package directions.
- Drain the spaghetti and toss with a small drizzle of olive oil. Let them steam off for 3–4 minutes — this prevents excess water from watering down your sauce (no dreaded orange tomato water).
- Serve the spaghetti topped with a generous ladle of meat sauce and plenty of grated Parmesan cheese (pairs great with garlic cheese bread).
pastaitaliandinnercomfort-foodquick30-minutes