Mushroom and Meat Tomato Sauce

This mushroom and meat tomato sauce is the perfect topping for any type of pasta! We love it over rich gnocchi or lighten it up with whole wheat linguini! 

don’t often like to toot my own cooking horn, but if there’s one thing that I have to admit, its that I make a mean pasta sauce. Growing up, my Mom often had a big pot of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. She would make a giant batch and either freeze or can it for later dinners. I loved when she made sauce because I would be the official taste tester. Many times I would fill up an entire bowl with sauce and eat it with a spoon like soup.

Now that I have my own kitchen, I love days when I put a big pot of sauce on early in the day and get to smell it simmering all day long. I usually just go with a traditional marinara but some days love to mix it up with some meat or veggies. This sauce has both, lean ground beef and hearty mushrooms. I love adding the mushrooms because they add some additional nutrition and after cooking in the sauce all day, they have a wonderful meaty texture.

Cooking for vegetarians or just trying to reduce your meat intake? This sauce is just as good with the mushrooms doubled and the meat omitted. Just don’t skip the balsamic vinegar. It adds a richness and depth of flavor to the sauce. After cooking for a few hours, the acidity cooks out, but the flavor remains. You can definitely replace the vinegar with red wine, but I don’t keep wine on hand, so I always use the vinegar. 

With the weather cooling down, nothing is more comforting than a big bowl of pasta with a rich, thick sauce! Pasta is my favorite food and I love having an arsenal of delicious sauce recipes. This Mushroom and Meat Tomato Sauce is one I will make again and again!

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Mushroom and Meat Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 28.5 can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 28.5 can of tomato sauce
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 pint mushrooms your choice of variety, diced into small pieces
• 1 medium onion diced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup half and half milk, fat free is fine
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• salt pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot, add your olive oil, then heat to medium high heat. When hot, add ground beef. Season with salt and pepper and cook until browned.
2. Add mushrooms, onions, and tomato paste and cook until onions start to soften about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add balsamic vinegar and stir well to scrap the flavor bits off the bottom of the pot.
3. Add tomatoes, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir well. Reduce heat to low. Cook uncovered for at least two hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The longer you cook, the better.
4. Half an hour before serving, add milk or half and half and stir well. Continue to cook.
5. Serve over pasta. Sauce tastes delicious the next day and stores well in the fridge for up to three days. Freeze any leftover.

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