My mom makes the best meat sauce. I’ve devoured it since I was a kid. It’s robust, tangy, a bit sweet, and packed with meat. It tastes great as spaghetti, but also tastes killer in lasagna or baked ziti.
I love pasta, it’s one of my favorite meals. And I positively enjoy experimenting with difference sauces. But when it comes to a good hearty meat sauce, other sauces I’ve tried pale in comparison to my mom’s sauce. People always compliment it. They love how packed with meat her sauce is, but also can’t quite place what makes it so sweet (it’s the bit of sugar, and the sweet sausage).
So, I’ve given up on trying to improve what my mom has already perfected. Sort of. While we use most of the same ingredients (I make mine more Weight Watchers-friendly), we use different preparation methods. My mom still cooks hers on a stove top. I prefer to use a slow cooker. But, that’s just me.
I am a big fan of slow cookers. My crock pot is the perfect fit for my busy work schedule and life style. It just makes things easier for me. The slow cooker allows me to simmer the sauce all day — a must for rich flavorful meat sauce — without having to tend an open flame. Plus, I gain the added benefit of coming home from work or a long all-day hike to open my door to a house filled with the incredible scent of simmering meat sauce. It’s really a big win-win for me. Cooking and serving it in a slow cooker also works out great for potlucks and parties.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering… it’s a hit with kids too. Our kids go nuts over the homemade sauce, although I do have to go a lot easier on the mushrooms when making it for them.
Prepping the items that get browned with the meat.
I get the ground beef and sausage going before adding the vegetables.
As soon as there's room in the pan, add the vegetables (except mushrooms).
The meat mixture really does cook down.
Add all remaining ingredients after adding the meat mixture.
This is what I come home to! The pot will wash clean.
Absolutely delicious!
Mom’s Original Meat Sauce
Source: Kathleen Robledo
Servings: This quantity easily feeds 14-16. Cut in half it provides 7-8 servings.
WW New PointsPlus: Go with my lighter version.
Mom’s Original Ingredients
Note: This quantity feeds an army. That’s because mom and I both always make enough sauce to freeze half of it for a second meal — be it spaghetti or lasagna or ziti. For a single meal, cut the quantities in half.
2 – 29 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 – 6 oz. cans tomato paste
3 pounds ground beef
2 packages Italian sausage (hot and sweet)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
5 ribs celery
2 bell peppers
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh thymeMom’s Original Preparation Method
Brown the ground beef and sausage with the celery, pepper, onion and garlic. Drain any fat. Add this mixture and all remaining ingredients to a large pot and simmer for at least 15 minutes.
My mom usually makes this the day before serving so that the sauce thickens and the flavors saturate overnight. At the very least, she starts the sauce early in the day and allows it to simmer all day.
Colleen’s Lighter Version of Mom’s Meat Sauce
Source: Adapted from Kathleen Robledo
Servings: This quantity easily feeds 14-16. Cut in half it provides 7-8 servings.
WW New PointsPlus: 6 per serving (when a full 16-serving doubled quantity, or a full 8-serving halved quantity)
My Lighter Ingredients
Note: This quantity feeds an army. That’s because mom and I both always make enough sauce to freeze half of it for a second meal — be it spaghetti or lasagna or ziti. For a single meal, cut the quantities in half.
2 – 29 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 – 6 oz. cans tomato paste
2 pounds ground beef (I use 15% fat or leaner)
2 pounds lean Italian turkey sausage (hot and sweet)
2 teaspoons low-cal sugar substitute
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
5 ribs celery
2 bell peppers
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh thymeMy Slowcooker Preparation Method
Brown the ground beef and sausage with the celery, pepper, onion and garlic. Drain any fat. Add this mixture and all remaining ingredients to a slower cooker and cook on low for at least 6 hours.
If you opt to make this full recipe — the quantity that can feed an army — split the sauce up between two slower cookers. This quantity is too much for a single slow cooker.
Caution: Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves before serving.
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Article by Colleen Greene
I am a librarian, web developer, and technologist, who is into cooking, hiking, quilting and stitching, genealogy and local history.
Colleen has written 159 articles for The Taste Place.
