Sarasota's Spaghetti Sauce

Name: Sarasota's Spaghetti Sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 8 Cups of Sauce, 4-6 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (San Marzano or any good quality Italian tomato, or if you can't find any, Hunts or a similar brand w); 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce; 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste; 1/2 cup red wine (cabernet or merlot works great); 1 cup vegetable broth (or you can use water); 1 medium onion, fine diced (If you want more onion flavor, just use a large onion); 2 teaspoons garlic (Again, add more or less according to your taste, I use 3 teaspoons); 1 tablespoon dried basil; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (fresh please, it really makes a difference); 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 1 pinch red pepper flakes; 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (at the end of cooking); 1 teaspoon olive oil (to saute onion and garlic); salt; pepper; fresh basil, fine chopped; 1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, sausage or any combination, you can also use diced pork sausage as well. If y); 1 cup vegetables, fine diced (celery, peppers, red or green bell, spicy such as jalapeno, cubenelle, banana, etc. Any of your favo); 2 cups fresh mushrooms, rough chopped (You will use more mushrooms than the other vegetables because they cook down more)

Submitted by SarasotaCook

"This is a combination of two recipes ... or maybe four. My Grandma and Moms, my girlfriend who lives Italy, her Grandma and Moms. So we took the best of all our favorite flavors. Optional: These are great additions to your sauce if you prefer a "chunkier" vegetable based sauce. You can add celery, peppers (they can be red or green pepper; or any of your favorite spicy peppers, cubanelle, jalapeno, your favorite), mushrooms,and even carrots which make a sweeter sauce. Of course I top with cheese. Parmesan is traditional, but Pecorino Romano will give you a bit more of a tang to your sauce. And of course you can always add meat. My favorite is a mix of beef and pork sausage, but feel free to add chicken, turkey, or any combination. Now, I don't like my sauce too meaty, but if you want a thicker meatier sauce, just add more. Of course your favorite pasta, fresh is better, salad and crunchy bread. How can you have spaghetti without salad, bread and ... oh yeah ... that glass of red wine."

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photo by JoyfulCook

Ready In:: 1hr 15mins
Ingredients:: 20
Yields:: 8 Cups of Sauce
Serves:: 4-6

ingredients

Standard Sauce
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (San Marzano or any good quality Italian tomato, or if you can't find any, Hunts or a similar brand w)
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
¹⁄₂ cup red wine (cabernet or merlot works great)
1 cup vegetable broth (or you can use water)
1 medium onion, fine diced (If you want more onion flavor, just use a large onion)
2 teaspoons garlic (Again, add more or less according to your taste, I use 3 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (fresh please, it really makes a difference)
¹⁄₂ teaspoon sugar
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (at the end of cooking)
1 teaspoon olive oil (to saute onion and garlic)
salt
pepper
Optional
fresh basil, fine chopped
For a Meat Sauce
1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, sausage or any combination, you can also use diced pork sausage as well. If y)
For a Vegetable Sauce
1 cup vegetables, fine diced (celery, peppers, red or green bell, spicy such as jalapeno, cubenelle, banana, etc. Any of your favo)
2 cups fresh mushrooms, rough chopped (You will use more mushrooms than the other vegetables because they cook down more)

directions

NOTE: This can easily be done in a crock pot, but be sure to brown any meat prior to adding it to the crock pot. Also, it is not necessary -- but, I really prefer to saute the onion, garlic or any other vegetables too.
Base Flavor -- Add the olive oil to a big pot over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and saute about 4-5 minutes until tender. Add the wine to deglaze.
* If you plan to use a more vegetable based sauce, just add a little more olive oil and saute all the vegetables at once.
Tomatoes -- Add in all the tomatoes (juice and all) and the broth (or water), sugar, basil and oregano. I reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer 60 minutes (30 minutes if you are in a hurry), depending on your time frame. If you like the sauce a little thicker, just remove the cover so the sauce can evaporate a bit.
* At this point, after you added all the tomatoes and seasoning, add your meat back in if you are preparing a meat sauce.
Finishing -- When the sauce is done, add in the red wine vinegar, simply "wakes-up" the sauce, and don't forget to add the fresh parsley. Also check for any additional seasoning - salt and pepper and I love to add some fresh chopped basil (optional) and cook, another 3 or 4 minutes.
Serve -- Just enjoy with your favorite pasta, meatballs, etc., and top with your favorite grated fresh cheese.

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Reviews

Really loved this recipe, thanks Kim for posting this, it was really lovely and for a change I served it with spirilized parsnip and carrot, its a keeper :)

JoyfulCook

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

SarasotaCook

Sarasota, Florida

Growing up in Michigan, I spent my summers at my cottage in the Northern part up by Traverscity. On a lake, big garden which had all the vegetables you could imagine. My mom taught school, so summers were our vacation time. Gramps and I fished all the time so fresh fish was always on the menu, perch, blue gill, walleye and small and large mouth bass. At age 5 I learned how to clean my own fish and by 10 I was making dinner, canning vegetables and fruits, making pies and fresh breads. Apples fresh picked every fall, strawberries in June and July, Cherries at the Cherry Festival in Traverscity. So fresh foods always were a big part. Mom worked as a teacher during the year so dinner was more traditional with pot roasts, meatloaf, etc, but it seemed we always had fresh fruits and vegetables as part of the meal. Mom also didn't use as many spices as I do, but times were different back then. So ... My motto is ... There is NO Right and NO Wrong with cooking. So many people thing they have to follow a recipe. But NO ... a recipe is a method and directions to help and teach someone. Cooking is about personal tastes and flavors. I love garlic ... and another person may not. I like heat ... but you may not. Recipes are building blocks, NOT text ground in stone. Use them to make and build on. Even my recipes I don't follow most times --They are a base. That is what cooking is to me. A base of layer upon layer of flavors. I still dislike using canned soups or packaged gravies/seasoning ... but I admit, I do use them. I have a few recipes that use them. But I try to strive to teach people to use fresh ingredients, they are first ... so much healthier for you ... and second, in the end less expensive. But we all have our moments including me. So, lets see ... In the past, I have worked as a hostess, bartender, waitress, then a short order cook, salad girl in the kitchen, sort of assistant chef, head chef, co owner of a restaurant ... now a consultant to a catering company/restaurant, I cater myself and I'm a personal chef for a elderly lady. I work doing data entry during the day, and now and then try to have fun which is not very often due to my job(s). I have a 21 year old who at times is going on 12, aren't they all. Was married and now single and just trying to enjoy life one day at a time. I'm writing a cookbook ... name is still in the works but it is dedicated to those people who never learned, to cook. Single Moms, Dads, or Just Busy Parents. Those individuals that think you can't make a great dinner for not a lot of money. You can entertain on a budget and I want people to know that gourmet tasting food doesn't have to be from a can of soup or a box, and healthy food doesn't come from a drive through. There are some really good meals that people can make which are healthy and will save money but taste amazing. So I guess that is my current goal. We all take short cuts and I have no problem with that - I do it too. I volunteer and make food for the homeless every couple of months, donating my time and money. I usually make soup for them and many times get donations from a local grocery stores, Sams Club, Walmart etc, with broth, and vegetables. It makes my cost very little and well worth every minute I spend. Like anyone, life is always trying to figure things out and do the best we can and have fun some how along the way.

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