Season beef with dried herbs, and simmer it low and slow with tomatoes until the flavors meld to perfection.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 50 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 6-8 servings, makes about 8 cups |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Two 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes, coarsely crushed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- [For Serving:] Hot cooked pasta
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the red pepper flakes and stir for 15 seconds. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until soft, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until brick red, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juices, the sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and continue to simmer the sauce for 15 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a simmer.
- Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the meat, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until it browns, about 5 minutes. Stir the meat into the sauce and continue to simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the flavors have blended, about 1 hour. Add a splash of water if the sauce becomes too thick. Stir the Parmesan into the sauce and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper. Serve over hot pasta with extra cheese for topping.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 244 |
| Total Fat | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 22 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Cholesterol | 26 mg |
| Sodium | 693 mg |
Reviews
Love this! I make it in one pot doing the onion, carrots, and garlic until soft and tender before adding the beef, browning, and adding the herbs. I find it works just as well. I also add Parmesan rind if I have one while it simmers. I omit the sugar due to personal preference. I usually freeze half the sauce for later and still have enough for 2 dinners and a lunch from half the sauce and it reheats in a pot really well.
Very easy recipe, but I can do without the sugar because it make the sauce too sweet. I was concerned about not having enough ground beef so I used 1lb instead of half a pound and it looked meaty like the picture when I plated it. I will definitely make this again, but without the sugar.
omg yes
So, two 28oz cans of tomato, and only 8oz of ground beef. Why does that picture look so meaty? Is that a miss print?
I usually love Food Network recipes, but I’m not a fan of this one because of the overly intense tomato flavor. Next time I’d omit the tomato paste.
Looks great
Fantastic!
Very simple and tasty meat sauce. We don’t do spaghetti dinner very often and this one is now a keeper and one worth doing regularly. I made a couple of changes to meet my taste preferences. I doubled the ground beef and the red peppers. I let the sauce cook for ~ five hours because I made it so early in the day…I’m not sure if that allowed for a better blend of the flavors. The sauce was truly “hearty” and the extra red peppers provide a good spicy finish. I gave some to my neighbor (an excellent cook), and he said it was “delicious”. That sealed the deal for me on this recipe.
Caution: Some may find adding the extra red peppers to be a bit much so be careful as my wife thought there was too much heat for her delicate palate.
This is absolute perfection for an everyday spaghetti dinner! My husband told me to throw away all the jars of Ragu! So easy and instantly delicious (does not have to set). I’ve been looking for a recipe like this for years. The only thing I changed was that I used 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes and 1 can of crushed tomatoes. It gives the sauce a perfect chunky feel. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
So yummy!