Email to Magnolia Lane      

Basic Meat Sauce

Source of Recipe

iVillage - Mr. Food


Recipe Introduction

This makes so much sauce — and it's so versatile — that you can plan on using some right away and freezing the rest for future quick meals. For upside-down shepherd's pie, you can add mixed veggies to this sauce and serve over mashed potatoes. You can make a simple goulash by mixing some sour cream and paprika into the sauce, then serving over buttered noodles. Maybe you'd like to add a few chili seasonings to the sauce and roll it up in flour tortillas with traditional burrito fixings — it all works!

List of Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 pounds lean ground beef
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon celery seed (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Recipe

In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, or until softened, stirring frequently. Increase the heat to high and add the ground beef. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink, stirring to break up the meat. Drain off excess liquid, then stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste,bouillon cubes, water, salt, Italian seasoning, celery seed, and black pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 1/2 hours, or until the meat sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally (about every 15 minutes). Use immediately as desired, or cool and store for future use.

Yields: about 12 cups