Vince's Meat Sauce
Spaghetti Meat Sauce. This recipe is similar to the meat sauce served at Vince's Spaghetti in Southern California. It was originally published in a newspaper and has become a family favorite. The recipe will be adapted to use leaner beef and wheat pasta for a healthier option.
Spaghetti Meat Sauce. This recipe is similar to the meat sauce served at Vince's Spaghetti in Southern California. It was originally published in a newspaper and has become a family favorite. The recipe will be adapted to use leaner beef and wheat pasta for a healthier option.
- Carbohydrate 5.22791725160256 g
- Cholesterol 32.20505827 mg
- Fat 9.86655282016126 g
- Fiber 1.1359920255342 g
- Protein 8.79627544001539 g
- Saturated Fat 3.60392116498587 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (81g)
- Sodium 745.688054307979 mg
- Sugar 4.09192522606837 g
- Trans Fat 1.43226525671297 g
- Calories 144 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil for a few minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and equal amount of water; simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the tomatoes in puree that has been broken up.
- Add salt, pepper, basil and sugar and simmer a few minutes.
- Brown meat with the oregano; drain and add to tomato sauce.
- Continue simmering for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
While a standard marinara relies on a quick 20-minute convergence of olive oil, aromatics, and crushed tomatoes, hearty meat sauces require extended thermal processing to break down connective tissue and meld disparate flavor profiles into a cohesive whole. Achieving the proper consistency without scorching requires specific hardware and attention to detail during the multi-hour reduction phase.
- Use a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid to distribute heat evenly and prevent the tomato solids from adhering to the base during the 120-minute simmer.
- Render the ground round beef thoroughly over medium-high heat until deep brown crusts form on the pan floor, as this Maillard reaction builds the savory backbone that canned tomatoes alone cannot provide.
- Drain excess rendered fat from the skillet before incorporating the meat into the simmering sauce to maintain a balanced mouthfeel and prevent an oily surface layer.
- Opt for canned tomatoes in puree rather than whole peeled varieties to eliminate the need for manual immersion blending or hand-crushing steps.
Fresh garlic and onions yield sharper allicin compounds and more pungent sulfur notes than their dried counterparts, introducing brightness that cuts through the rich beef fat. When transitioning from preserved aromatics to fresh items, increase the volume by roughly one-third to account for higher water content and milder intensity.
