Mama’s Pasta + Meat Sauce
Mama’s Pasta + Meat Sauce
Just like Mama makes it! Mama’s meat sauce is sure to bring back the best memories of dinner and delight anyone’s taste buds! With minimal prep time, the real magic of this recipe here is created in the slow-simmering process which melds the flavors together harmoniously. You may be tempted to speed up the process, but don’t! Pass the time with a glass of wine as this one is well worth the wait!
COOK TIME | 3 hours
Wine Pairing: Merlot
Ingredient List
½ lbs each ground beef and pork
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup dry white wine (or red wine is fine as well)
1 tbsp dried or fresh oregano, crushed
1 tbsp dried or fresh thyme
¾ cup milk
2 cups crushed, canned tomatoes (pushed through a sieve to remove skin, pulp, and seeds)
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 chicken bouillon cubes (instead of salt)
1 tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
Favorite pasta, make according to package directions
Directions
Step 1 — In a deep pot, melt butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Stir and saute until just translucent. Add the celery and carrot and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add the meat, crumbling it in the pot with a fork along with the bouillon cubes, thyme, and oregano and cook until pink-color of meat is gone. Turn the heat to medium high, add the wine, and cook until almost all of the wine has fully evaporated. Turn the heat down to medium, add the milk and nutmeg and cook until the milk has evaporated. When the milk is evaporated, add the tomatoes and tomato paste and stir thoroughly.
Step 2 — When the sauce starts to bubble, turn the heat down to low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally for 2-3 hours to fully meld the flavors. Serve atop your favorite pasta or bed of fresh spinach or zucchini “noodles.”