Meat Sauce

Here is another child friendly dish that I made for my friend. I used canned diced tomatoes, leaving the tomatoes in large chunks instead of chopping them up. I quite like biting into the chunks of tomatoes. It also adds more texture to the meat sauce and her children didn’t mind it at all!

Photography by Heaven on Hearth

The adults also enjoyed the meat sauce. It’s easy to make, versatile and this recipe is enough for 2 meals.  Meat sauce can be served with spaghetti or topped with mashed potatoes and cheese, then baked in the oven. My Mum loves to eat meat sauce with white rice and a tossed salad. It is also great in a toasted hoagie roll or on a toasted hamburger bun, similar to a Sloppy Joe. Meat sauce stuffed in a baked potato with some freshly diced red onions, cheese, jalapenos and freshly chopped parsley...how versatile is that? And the list can go on…

1 1/3 pounds of ground beef (75/25)
½ cup carrots, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

½ a large sweet onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1½ teaspoons dried basil leaves

1½ teaspoons dried oregano leaves

28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice

6 ounces tomato paste

¾ cup of beef broth

Diced Onions, Celery and Carrots

Finely dice ½ cup of carrots, 1 stalk celery, ½ a large sweet onion and 2 cloves garlic finely chopped and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and then the ground beef. Make sure the ground beef is spread out evenly in the pan, while breaking up the meat. Brown the meat for 3 minutes, then add the finely diced vegetables, season with 3 teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1½ teaspoons dried basil leaves and 1½ teaspoons dried oregano leaves. 

Browned Ground Beef with Vegetables

Then add 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice, 6 ounces tomato paste and ¾ cup of beef broth and stir occasionally. Allow the meat sauce to simmer for 27 minutes over medium high heat until the sauce thickens.

Meat Sauce

Yields 6 cups of sauce. Voilà. Enjoy!