Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

By RoketJSquerl

A really easy and delicious all-purpose sauce for pasta and lasagna. The lengthy cooking time allows the rich flavors to really develop and gives the sauce its great flavor. The results are a thick, hearty and tasty spaghetti sauce with not much effort. It does take a little more time, but it's worth it. Use only a non-stick, enamel coated Dutch oven or stainless steel pot; aluminum or cast iron are reactive and can yield a metallic taste. You can add a heaping teaspoon of bacon fat to the olive oil and use all beef (no pork). Use the best canned tomatoes possible. Best brands of crushed and whole tomatoes are San Marzano, Muir Glen, Cento, or any others if the cans say tomatoes are "San Marzano". Any brand of tomato paste and tomato sauce is fine---I use Hunt's or Muir Glen. This sauce freezes well in sealable 1-quart plastic containers or 1-quart freezer Ziploc bags.. Also, if you really love meat, add some home-made or ready-to-cook frozen meatballs during the last hour of simmering.

Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Onion, ; finely chopped
• 1/4 Cup Carrot, ; finely diced
• 2 Large Cloves Garlic (or 3 small), minced
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Pound Lean Ground Beef (preferably ground round)
• 1/2 Pound Lean Ground Pork (or, additional ground beef)
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
• 1 Can Tomato Paste (6 oz)
• 1/4 Cup Dry Red Wine
• 1 Can Crushed Tomatoes (28 oz)
• 1 Can Tomato Sauce (15 oz)
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon, ; or to taste
• 3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, ; freshly grated (plus additional for serving)
• 1 Pound Thin Spaghetti

Preparation

Step 1

Put olive oil into a cold Dutch oven or large heavy saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until just barely hot. Add onion and carrot, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper to bring out the flavors, and saute until softened. Add garlic and saute 1 to 2 minutes more, but do not let garlic burn. Add beef, and pork if used; cook and stir until no longer pink. Drain off excess fat. Add oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; mix well. a little more salt and pepper is good right here. Stir in the tomato paste. Stir in the wine until well-blended. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and mix well. Stir in sugar and cinnamon and bring slowly to a simmer. Simmer uncovered over low heat from 1 to 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in Parmesan; simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain and divide into 6 warm serving plates. Ladle sauce over the pasta and serve with additional Parmesan on the side.