Weeknight Meat Sauce Food

SPAGHETTI MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Place a pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 lb ground beef and sautee, breaking it up with a spatula until no longer pink (5 minutes).
• Add chopped onion, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp pepper and sautee until onions are soft.
• Add garlic and sautee another 1-2 minutes until fragrant then pour in 1 jar of marinara sauce, 1/4 cup water and 1 tsp sugar. Cover and simmer over low heat 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook 12 oz of spaghetti in salted water to desired doneness according to package instructions then drain. Serve sauce with cooked pasta.

WEEKNIGHT BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground sirloin and cook, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the meat has lost its pink color and has started to brown. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute. Pour 1 cup of the wine into the skillet and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a tablespoon of salt, a splash of oil, and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the box.
• While the pasta cooks, finish the sauce. Add the nutmeg, basil, cream, and the remaining 1/4 cup wine to the sauce and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked, drain and pour into a large serving bowl. Add the sauce and 1/2 cup Parmesan and toss well. Serve hot with Parmesan on the side.

SIMPLE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a large skillet heat the olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onions become very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Raise heat to high and add the ground beef. Saute, stirring frequently and breaking up any large lumps and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley and basil and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. This will take approximately 1/2 hour. Finish bolognese with Pecorino Romano.

WEEKNIGHT MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat until shimmering.
• Add in onions, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes; cook until onions are softened and lightly browned, 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
• Stir in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce into slow cooker.
• Mash bread and milk into a paste in a large bowl using a fork.
• Mix in ground beef, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper using hands.
• Stir beef mixture into slow cooker, breaking up any large pieces.
• Cover and cook until beef is tender, 9-11 hours on LOW or 5-7 hours on HIGH.
• Let sauce settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon.
• Break up any remaining large pieces of beef with spoon.
• Before serving, stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve over hot cooked pasta.