Real Italian Spaghetti Sauce
This recipe was given to me by a friends mom years ago. It makes a big pot of sauce that feeds many. Its best made the day before and then reheated. We also add Italian sausage to the sauce. This is the best sauce I have tasted.
This recipe was given to me by a friends mom years ago. It makes a big pot of sauce that feeds many. Its best made the day before and then reheated. We also add Italian sausage to the sauce. This is the best sauce I have tasted.
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 2 1/2 pound beef ground
- 1 can (12 oz) tomato paste - (cantadina is best)
- 1 can (29 oz) tomato puree - (cantadina is best)
- 3 can (24 oz) tomato sauce - (cantadina is best)
- 6 medium onions ,chopped
- 4 medium garlic cloves ,minced
- 6 ounce olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon bread crumbs ,italian
- 1 tablespoon italian seasoning ,heaping
- 3/4 tablespoon anisette
- 1 tablespoon sugar subsitute ,splenda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon fennel seed ,heaping
- Carbohydrate 13.1900279481531 g
- Cholesterol 60.753419984375 mg
- Fat 22.110897571681 g
- Fiber 2.40681291975874 g
- Protein 16.2877408107182 g
- Saturated Fat 5.43390209471814 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (158g)
- Sodium 301.334780713535 mg
- Sugar 10.7832150283944 g
- Trans Fat 1.49316179431947 g
- Calories 313 calories
Step-by-step
- Saute' onions & garlic in oil until brown (about 15 to 30 min) stiring often to avoid burning.
- Put aside 1 Tbls of mixture from the pot for making meatballs.
- Add 1 lb ground beef in with the onions mixture cutting the meat into small pieces.
- Stir & mix well on a medium flame.
- Let saute'.
- Add salt & pepper and mix well.
- Add paste, mix thoroughly, let simmer a few minutes until mixture begins to boil.
- Add sauce, fill 3 empty cans with water and add to mixture.
- Add puree, stir and simmer a few minutes longer.
- Add cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning, fennel seed, anisette, & oregano.
- Mix well.
- Add sugar (or substitute) and mix well.
- Simmer for 2 hours.
- Continue stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Use a spoon to skim the oil that rises to the surface.
- Meatballs: Use the rest of the meat.
- Add egg and onion mixture which was put aside.
- Add bread crumbs (for low-carb subsitute ground pork rines), 1 tsp salt, 3 Tbls sauce from pot, cup water.
- Mix well and make into golf ball size meatballs.
- Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
- Add to sauce and continue to simmer for 1 more hour
Deep crimson fat bubbles slowly at the edges of a heavy pot, releasing aromas of browned alliums, toasted fennel seed, and sweet tomato paste reduced to an intense, brick-red paste. Cooking down large quantities of canned tomato puree, sauce, and paste requires vigilance because high sugar content makes the bottom susceptible to scorching within seconds if left unattended. Thorough, frequent scraping with a flat-bottomed wooden spoon prevents scorching while building maximum depth in the sauce base.
Fat management dictates whether the final sauce tastes clean or heavy. Olive oil used to brown six chopped onions and four minced garlic cloves will naturally separate during a two-hour simmer, rising to the top where it must be physically scooped away with a large spoon rather than stirred back in. Meanwhile, binding the remaining ground beef with an egg, seasoned bread crumbs, and reserved onion mixture creates tender meatballs that firm up during a precise 15-minute bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit before joining the simmering liquid for their final hour.
Adapting this formulation for different dietary needs is straightforward. Replacing traditional bread crumbs with crushed pork rinds maintains the structural integrity of the meatballs while significantly reducing carbohydrate content for low-carb diets.
