Best Italian Meat Sauce For Pasta Or Lasagna Recipes

LASAGNA WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Meat Sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add beef, sausage, onion, carrots, celery, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up meat into bite-size pieces, until vegetables soften and meat has browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red-pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook 2 minutes more. Puree tomatoes in a blender or food processor; add to pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened slightly but still very loose, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Cheese Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together ricotta, milk, eggs, 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, 2 1/2 cups mozzarella, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Assembly: Spread 2 cups meat sauce evenly in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, preferably ceramic or enameled cast iron. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce (space noodles evenly; they will expand as the lasagna cooks). Spread 2 cups cheese mixture over noodles; top with 3 more noodles. Repeat layering of meat and cheese mixtures between noodles twice more. Spread 2 cups meat sauce evenly over top layer of noodles. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Loosely cover with parchment-lined foil and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake until noodles are tender but still al dente (easily pierced with the tip of a knife), 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover; continue baking until bubbly and puffed slightly along edges and golden brown in places on top, 20 to 25 minutes more. (There may appear to be a lot of liquid in the dish. It will be absorbed as the lasagna cools.) Transfer dish to a wire rack and let cool slightly and set, about 20 minutes; cut into squares to serve.

ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion until translucent. This should take 5 - 8 minutes. The longer you cook the onions, the sweeter they become.
• Add garlic and cook just until fragrant.
• Add the beef and veal (if using) and cook until it's browned. I use lean meat which means there's little fat left in the pan. I don't bother draining it. If you find a lot of fat you can remove it using a turkey baster or skim it off the top later. Don't mistake water for fat. I've found lesser grades of meat release more liquid than say Angus. If that's the case, cook and stir a few minutes and it will evaporate.
• Sprinkle in the granulated garlic, salt and pepper and stir.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it loses its bright red color.
• Add the ground peeled tomatoes and the tomato puree, sugar and basil.
• Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened about 1 hour. Taste and adjust for more salt and pepper.

ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE FOR PASTA OR LASAGNA

Steps:

• Cook sausage until browned. Drain well and set aside.
• Using the same pan heat olive oil. Cook onion and garlic until softened. Add marrow bones. Cook 5-10 minutes turning often.
• Add wine and stir well scraping bottom of pan. Cook until mostly evaporated.
• Add remaining ingredients with cooked sausage. Cook for several hours uncovered adding water if needed. It should be a deep brick color. Discard bones.
• Serve with favorite pasta.
• Note: You should use quality Italian sausage from your local butcher for optimal flavor.

ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the onions, carrots, celery, and salt pork (if using) in a food processor and process to a fine paste. In a heated skillet with olive oil, brown this combination.
• Add the ground meat to the skillet and brown.
• Once the meat is browned, add the wine and cook to evaporate it.
• Add the salt, black pepper, tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to simmer for 2 hours covered. Stir from the bottom every 20 minutes. Be careful that the heat is not too high - it will burn.
• Uncover and simmer 1 more hour.
• Enjoy!

MEAT SAUCE FOR PASTA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook meat and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, parsley and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. , Uncover; simmer 15 minutes longer or until sauce reaches desired consistency. Discard bay leaves. Freeze in meal-size portions., To use frozen meat sauce: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Place in a saucepan; heat through. Serve over pasta.