Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Spaghetti Sauce Recipe ?

Guys, I have a #10 (6 pound) can of tomato sauce along with several cans of San Marzano tomatoes that have been languishing on my shelves and I'd like to try my hand at making my own spaghetti sauce. I have all the usual spices on hand but I'm a rank amateur at proportioning such a large, for me, amount.

Looking for some guidance.Quite awhile back I whipped up some off an internet recipe and it was downright boring.

Can't help you with measurements as I don't really do them.

But you won't go wrong by sauteing some onions in a pan with oo or bacon fat, adding some dried Italian herbs, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, and some anchovies. De-glaze with red vino, then add your canned sauce to that.

The canned tomatoes can be roasted in the oven. Prep them with some oo, salt, garlic, herbs, etc. Once caramelized, take out of the oven, de-glaze roasting pan/tray with red vino, then add to your simmering sauce.

A good way to build some depth of flavor.

Thanks add, that's the kind of help I'm looking for.

Keep 'em coming friends.

BTW, Dan's sauce is awesome.

Here's an easy one.

Pasta with Italian Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream

Ingredients:

for 2 servings. Incrementally adjust ingredients for larger groups.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb sweet (or hot) Italian sausage link, casings removed,crumbled
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper flakes
1/4 cup diced onion
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, drained,coarsely chopped (prefer Tutorosso or Cento whole and peeled)
3/4 cup whipping cream (low fat works fine)
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces pasta (any kind you like that day or what's on hand)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced parsley
grated parmesan cheese

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Directions:

1 Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat
2 Add sausage and crushed red pepper
3 Cook until sausage is no longer pink, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes
4 Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook until onion is tender and sausage is light brown,
stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes
5 Add tomatoes, cream, and salt
6 Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes
7 (Can be prepared one day ahead. Cover and chill.)
8 Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water
9 Drain
10 Bring sauce to a simmer
11 Add pasta to sauce and cook until pasta is heated through and sauce thickens, stirring occasionally,
about 2 minutes
12 Divide pasta between plates (or place in large serving dish or bowl)
13 Sprinkle with parsley
14 Serve, passing Parmesan freely

Note: 5 star recipe with 331 thumbs up reviews. Easy to prepare.

Here's the one we use. It is from an Italian friend of mine and the recipe is his grandmothers.



Mike

Looks like a trip to Krogers for a bit more onion and some garlic cloves are in order.

Mike,does "nonna's" recipe require an all day simmer or is it less time consuming ?

I'm cool with it either way. Just asking.

Looks bogus to me, Mike. Everyone knows that Grannys work in "this anna that", pinches, dashes and smidgens !!!!

Denny, this is also an original Italian recipe for Pasta Bolognese. It's one of the best recipes I have.

Thanks,Greg. Looks to be very meaty which suites me well.

About 4 servings over pasta ???

284 LUVR, This has been a stable in my family for many years. It takes most of the day to make but it's worth it.

Cover bottom of very large sauce pan w/at least 1/2in of
virgin olive oil.
Chop two large onions into personal size pieces...meaning small or larger if you like.
Strip at least 6 cloves of garlic and when the oil is warm put the onions and garlic in and cook them until the onions are somewhat carmelized. You can't mess this up so don't worry about it.
Add 3 -4 large cans of sauce depending on the amount of onions you have.
Take at least 3 cans of your tomatoes and cut the tops/stems out and mash them in your hands till they come out as small pieces. Stir sauce as you go and keep ingredients mixed well. Put a pork chop in the sauce as it simmers and add six full size bay leaves.
The sauce should cook on low slowly all day and it should bubble up thru the center of the sauce. Stir occasionly and cook at least 6 hours. Do not cover the sauce as condensation will drip in the pan and thin he sauce. This is not wanted.
Brown 1lb of pork sausage and 1lb of hamburger meat and add to the sauce after six hours and cook for 45 more minutes.
Cook a good quality spaghetti to your liking...add garlic bread and wine or ice tea. You'll have plenty to freeze for another meal or two. powdr

I was wondering what to do with that last pork chop leftover from my meat run.

Looks your recipe will work out with the ingredients I have on hand.

Thank you for posting,Sir.

I love making sauce.

Mine resembles Mikes and LD's.

Basically I brown whatever meat, usually beef and pork, in a heavy pot. Remove and sauté onion, garlic and a bit of celery and carrot. Hit it with a bit of wine to deglaze, add meat back, add tomatoes and paste. Water or beef stock.

I season very simply with salt and pepper, bit of sugar, bay leaf, and oregano.

Let it simmer for a couple hours or more if you threw in a tough hunk of beef.

Sometimes when it's done, I pull the meat back out along with the bay leaves and hit it with a burr mixer to make it smooth.

Denny, I think so. This is traditional Bolognese. For some, it may be a little drier than they're familiar with. It's easy to make it "wetter". Just add some Italian romas and a little more red wine.

Sorry Denny, been busy with bbq this weekend. Big local contest with a friend of mine competing as KCBS #1 in the country right now. To answer your question, it is "more better" the longer you let that pork cook in there. You might have noticed that the recipe cut off in the photo is "spaghetti sauce with pork chops". Pork chops, pork butts, whatever it may be, it damn sure makes the "gravy" better!

Mike

I've never used a butt for sauce. Usually pork sausage and either beef shank or short ribs.

Uber good meaty flavor.

Something to be said for a clean, bright tomatoe sauce as well with no meat. Just a goodly amount of evoo, some garlic, fresh basil, and nice tomatoes! Little salt and pepper, maybe some other fresh herbs, and a pinch of sugar.

MadMooner, more often than not pork sausage is ground butt albeit with seasonings added.

ENJOY !!!!

Alone, at 72, I no longer make the big batches of spaghetti sauce I learned to make by watching my dad make sauce on the weekend, when I was growing up. Those were all-day cooking affairs that sometimes began before breakfast. And they produced a gargantuan portion fit to feed a family and their guests.

Nowadays, instead of stocking tomato sauce, Italian peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, etc, I just begin with any of a number of prepared sauces, like Newman's Own or Classico, and doctor it up according to my mood and what I have on hand.

You don't need a recipe--be creative. Look over the leftovers in the fridge to see what could go into the sauce, particularly things like celery leaves that may even have begun wilting, etc.

Go easy on the onions in a pasta sauce!!!

I know this thread is about using the OP's cans of tomatoes. But a simple sauce can be made from an equal mix of butter and olive oil, plus some broccoli flowers and whole garlic cloves. Spices to taste, usually parsley/flakes, salt, cracked red pepper, black pepper, Italian seasoning, lots of grated Parmesan at serving.

Hah. True enough!

I'll edit that to say "whole muscle, unground, pork butt"!

284, I forgot to tell you to add 2 small cans of tomato paste to the recipe...makes a difference. Add when you pour in the sauce. Remove the cloves of garlic w/a straining spoon before serving. Do not use breakfast sausage as it contains sage. Let me know if you got these updates. powdr

Gotcha and thank you, Sir.

Kinda stopped using whole garlic cloves or even slicing/smashing them in my dishes. Went to rubbing my cloves on a lemon zester for a very intensified flavor. Saw it on a cooking show and dang it works very well !!! Try it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microplane-...ng-Parmesan-Coconut-Citrus-/191804256564

OK,since so many have been asking I did some reconstructing and measuring of ingredients and got as close as I could with amounts for my home made meat sauce. I cook by eye and taste so I never have any formal amounts.

Ingredients

10 28 oz cans tomato Sauce(hunts,contadina,or your favorite)

Seasoned bread crumbs (for meatballs)(approx 1/2 to 3/4 cup)

Eggs (for meatballs) 3 to 4 large

Milk or half and half (for meatballs) approx 1/2 cup

Fresh garlic cloves(2 full heads peeled and diced fine)

Garlic powder(3 to 4 tsp)

Fresh basil (for meatballs,you can substitute dried but fresh is way better)

Oregano or italian seasoning (3 tsp)

Dry basil (3 tsp)

Bay leaves(3 leaves)

Grated parmesan cheese (for meatball)(approx 1/4 cup)

Black pepper (3 tsp more or less to taste)

Crushed red pepper (optional to taste)

Salt ( 2 to 3 tsp to taste more or less,go less and add as sauce cooks if needed you can always add but can't take out)

Sugar (3 tsp)

Red wine or sherry (1/3 to 1/2 cup)

Ground beef(2 1/2 to 3 lbs)

Ground veal (2 1/2 to 3 lbs)

Italian sausage (10 links more or less)

Pork (enough to fill large frying pan)

Ok I use canned sauce(not paste or puree but sauce)
I really like fresh home canned tomatoes but since grandma passed I don't get that to often.Be careful if you use Hunts which I like but it has more salt in it so be aware when seasoning with more salt

Now how many cans will depend on how large of a batch you want to make. The big sauce pan I had pictured was 10 28 oz cans, you can also use 3 giant cans from Sam's club.

Another thing you need to know is how to make the meatballs that go into the sauce
So lets start there

Meatballs


Mix bread crumbs and milk together to moisten you don't want the bread crumbs swimming in milk like cereal but you want them to soak up the milk and make a lose slurry.
Then mix meats 80% ground chuck and ground veal equal parts( if you want you can use straight ground chuck but the veal added makes a much better meatball) and dry ingredients together--fresh basil(fresh is best if not dried 2 tsp),garlic powder(2 to 3 tsp),parmesan cheese,black pepper(2 tsp),oregano(2 to 3 tsp),salt(2 tsp or to taste),egg and bread crumb mixture and wine(just a splash)
You want the meat to be moist but not soggy

Now form into balls a bit smaller than a tennis ball
Put some EVOO(extra virgin olive oil) in a frying pan and brown the balls.
They don't have to be cooked all the way thru as they will finish cooking in the sauce
BTW the fresh basil I chiffonade(fancy name for thinly slicing)

Once you get the balls browning
chop up the garlic cloves I use enough to cover the bottom of the sauce pot

EVOO in bottom of pot not to much just enough to cover the bottom thinly and then on medium heat gently sweat(brown but not darkly) the garlic
Once its a nice light caramel color add the tomatoes sauce
Now you add the remaining dried spices listed above
stir the sauce and add the browned meat ball
Now brown some italian sausage again it doesn't have to be cooked all the way just browned then add them to the sauce
Now brown some pork(could be short or country style ribs,pork neck,pigs feet or pigs tails
The pork is really just to add flavor to the sauce but I do love me some pigs feet in sauce!
Again after browned add to sauce

Now simmer on low and stir every so often(make sure you get down to the bottom so its not burning low heat is key) and it needs to cook for a good long time at least 5 hours more is even better

I make large a batch and then after it cools put into smaller tupperware containers and freeze it so when I want sauce I just defrost it

Whew there you have it !
If Its not clear or any questions just ask

Dan, does that work out to about 3 1/2 gallons ?

Sure wish veal was available here but it's not a deal breaker.

Good pics George. I never think to take photos while I'm cooking.

Denny never measured

I just woke up and you've made me hungry!!!

I make mine using a a pound each of ground elk and pork, half a chopped med onion, five cloves of minced garlic, a half a small jar of basil pesto, a large can crushed tomatoes (Costco) and a fifteen oz can of diced tomatoes. Simmer and taste for five or so hours and done. Simple and killer.

I'd highly recommend some browned pork neck bones and a little veal stew meat. Makes the Sunday Gravy yummy.

[video:youtube]v=eZD-ApotEOQ[/video]

Tomatoes, onions, garlic. All else is just better. Simple, rich, slow, quick. It's a mood and a pantry.

Don't out think your self and nail the salt.

I mean, really, just make yourself smile.