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Thursday, May 8, 2014

Genuine Italian Grandma's Spaghetti Meat Sauce


I discovered this delicious recipe on Table For Two quite awhile ago. I've made a few changes to simplify but kept the incredible taste. After you try this, it becomes impossible to go back to Prego, Ragu, or any of the other grocery store jar spaghetti sauces - sorry for ruining that experience for you! This is so simple to make and it freezes well.  Depending on the size of your family and their appetites, you may be able to get two meals out of each batch like we do.


INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground chuck 80%/20%
2 15 oz cans of tomato puree
6 oz can of tomato paste
6 oz can of water
2 Tablespoons of sugar
3 teaspoons of finely minced garlic
3 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of onion powder
3 teaspoons of sweet basil
3 teaspoons of dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste - I used approximately 3 teaspoons of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper

DIRECTIONS:
In a large Dutch Oven, brown your ground chuck, do not drain.
Add minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Add tomato puree, tomato paste, and water.
Stir well.

Add sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet basil, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
Stir well and taste to see if any additional seasonings need to be added, depending on the brand of tomato puree and tomato paste you use, you may want to add more sugar.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stir occasionally and simmer for 2 hours.

Serve over hot spaghetti and enjoy! 

64 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. I apologize. I accidentally removed your comment before even reading it. Please post again and I will be happy to respond!

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    2. I made this sauce and was floored by how great it was!!! Next time I’ll be adding short ribs, Italian sausage, and red wine!! Thank for this incredible recipe!!!

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    3. No lie, use brown sugar instead of white, and light dusting of cinnamon. I always brown a lb of sweet Italian sausage with ground beef. I also add sausage and light cinnamon to chili. We love it.

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    4. That does sound delicious! I'll try it next time I make this recipe. Thank you!

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  2. Can you freeze this meat sauce?

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    1. You sure can freeze this sauce. I have many times.

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    2. This recipe is the Sicilian Way and my family were Sicilian

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    3. This recipe is true Sicilian sauce

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  3. Try 6 teaspoons fresh minced garlic; one med. onion minced. Skip the garlic powder and onion powder, Much better.\

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    1. Yes! If you have none of either.. powder will do.

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    2. Why skip the onion and garlic powder? The garlic powder does not replace the garlic. It just gives a little boost. The recipe does not call for onion. Some sauces do not have onion. But do not skip the onion powder. There is no reason to do that.

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  4. This isn’t authentic. Authentic involves fresh tomatoes prep boiling straining and squeezing. This is simply a canned recipe

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    1. How bloody rude! I made it and its delicious.

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    2. You need to go back to english class. The comment was not a slight on the sauces taste. Was merely a statement pertaining to its authenticity.

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    3. You're questioning someone being "genuine Italian" because they use canned tomatoes? Umm ok

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    4. Its grandma genuine Italian spaghetti sauce it did not say authenticity , (I think the statement was rude )

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    5. The recipe said genuine grandma's. You think she's lying that it is her granmas recipe? Many authentic recipes came from before there were canned goods. You think eons ago grandma would deal with fresh tomatoes if she didn't have to? Just another recipe snob who thinks they know more than everyone else. Just rude, rude rude.

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    6. You think because she did not handle the tomatoes with her own hands, this is not authentic? How do you think the tomatoes got in the can? This is an authentic recipe for her family. It came from her granma.

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    7. Your fun at parties for sure !!!

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    8. Well Malisa the tomato puree I use contain tomatoes and a pinch of salt. What's your point?

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    9. Some people just can’t help themselves. They don’t know any better and are obviously unable to learn from others. So sad!

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    10. Yes it is authentic. I am Italian and my grandmother (from Italy) never went thru all that crazy trouble to make a delicious authentic sauce.


      e

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  5. This has become a staple at Sunday dinner. My boys request it at least once a month!

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    1. So glad to hear this! We love it too!

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    2. I have a very large family who absolutely LOVES Spaghetti! I have made both the original recipe above and the other suggested with the medium onion and the 6 tsp. of fresh minced garlic, and both are a huge hit with my 5 children and hubby as well as myself! With me being the cook, I prefer the all canned, "original" recipe, because it's so much quicker and easier. With those previous two adjetives being my favorite when it comes to my family, we're a huge fan, and this recipe now has a permanent place in my family recipe book! Thanks for sharing your family recipe! God Bless!
      Sincerely, Robin/Georgia

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    3. I just love how authenticity is questioned! My family is “off the boat” and have stopped squeezing tomato’s over 40 years ago! So their sauce is a glorified can sauce??

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    4. I would like to use my fresh tomatoes! I need a recipe for it

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    5. I'm so sorry, but I do not grow my own tomatoes and do not have a recipe for using fresh tomatoes in spaghetti sauce. If any readers see this message and know what should be done, please comment!

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  6. It looks delicious and very close to my homemade sauce. I actually saw a popular chef on TV who used cans to make his spaghetti sauce and said it was the closest to fresh tomatoes as you can get. Don't let negative people bother you, I'm making your spaghetti sauce today, it will be delicious I'm sure....

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  7. Yes, many chefs use canned tomatoes. And I enjoy the convenience as well. Thanks for your sweet comments!

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  8. you mention 'depending on brand of tomato you use'. what brand of tomato puree and paste do you use for your sauce? a lot of recipes call for brand such as Cento - but I find Cento too sweet.

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    1. She may have used San Marzano fire roasted. They aren't sweet and are delishous.

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    2. in Italy now everybody uses canned tomatoes I`m off the boat & we always used canned tomatoes its what you put in the sauce that counts

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  9. I would recommend that you purchase the best quality tomato puree and paste that you can afford. Some find that certain brands of tomato products can be quite acidic and adding sugar can make it taste better, but each person tastes things differently.

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    1. I always dice up a carrot and sauté with my diced onion and minced garlic. The carrot has natural sugars and sweetens the tomatoes without adding suga.

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    2. Yes, you are right, carrots and onions would add some natural sweetness plus another dimension of flavors. That sounds delicious! Thank you!

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  10. Sooo good!! This was my first time making spaghetti sauce from scratch and you made it so easy! I used home-canned tomatoes that I pureed instead of store-bought tomato puree, and then I didn't realize I was out of sugar until I started making it, so I substituted with maple syrup. I also added extra garlic, onion powder, and some extra oregano and it was amazing!!! Thank you!!

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  11. SO GOOD!! Thank you!

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  12. I use Muir Glen tomatoes and all fresh spices. My family loves it, it should be your own version of this delicious recipe

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  13. I keep fresh parmesan cheese wedge on hand and grate it as needed. I also trim off the rind and let it simmer in the sauce. Adds amazing flavor!!!

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  14. Yes San marzanno tomatoes I find are the best tasting, In my opinion . Great recipe!!

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  15. While simmering add a quartered medium carrot cut into 1.5 pieces. This helps absorb the tomato acid. Discard them when done cooking. I was taught this by an Italian friend. :)

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  16. I ad a 1/4 cup of red wine to my sauce and also ad a table spoon of ground fennel seed. My best secret. You can also use 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon if you want to kick it up a notch.

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  17. I use to love the progresso canned sauces, now I found Cento, which I like very much - just a suggestion. I can’t find Professo in my area anymore.

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  18. How can I print this recipe? I can't find a Print button, and can't read the copy and paste version.

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    1. I printed this. Just highlight the recipe, right click print.

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  19. I should add to my comment about the rude individual that as a Sicilian myself, your recipe is perfect!

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  20. Can you verify the 6 oz of water? The ratio of tomato puree and tomato paste vs water seems way off (too thick) plus the amounts of spices you wrote. I'm making it now and added 6 cups of water to the 6 ounces of water the recipe is written. It seems like the right consistency now.

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    1. As the recipe says, you would add the tomato paste and then fill that same 6 oz. can with water and add to the sauce. I am surprised that 6 cups of water didn't make for a watery sauce, however, everyone has differing ideas of how thick and hearty they like their spaghetti sauce.

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  22. I just cooked this sauce recipe using 32 oz of fresh tomatoes pureed. I've been looking for a good pasta sauce to jar up. I have about 50 lbs of tomatoes from my garden. This turned out very good and thick. Much better than store bought.

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  23. This is my 2nd batch. The 1st one is delicious but I jthe 2nd one has a bitter taste to it, and an after taste. I followed the recipe. HELP! Can I fix this?

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    1. Perhaps the canned tomato paste and/or puree you used were more acidic? You could try adding more sugar to tame that bitter taste. Also double check the spices you used to make sure they are not bitter.

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  24. This recipe is outstanding. I put it in my pressure cooker. Made the spices infuse better. I will be making a double batch for sure and freezing it. I just don’t like spaghetti in a jar. Like to know just how mine was made. I did add fresh basil. Thank you so much for sharing this.

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    1. You are so welcome! Fresh basil sounds delicious and a great idea to add.

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    2. Delicious. My husband likes it meaty so I used 2 pounds of meat. It doesn’t taste like canned sauce. Very fresh and tasty.

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  25. Can you can this meat sauce please

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  26. Meant to say can you can this meat sauce

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    1. I have never canned this sauce or anything else, so I can not answer your question. However, you definitely can freeze this for several months in individual containers.

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  27. Perfect recipe Soo good!

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  28. What can be used if you can't find sweet basil? TIA!

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