Italian Meat Sauce

On the menu tonight, Italian Meat Sauce!

I’ve made plenty of Italian red sauces over the years, but not nearly as many meat sauces. After making this one, that may have to change.

This is one of the best sauces I’ve made. The combination of ground beef and mild Italian sausage gives the sauce a fantastic meaty flavor, while the tomatoes, herbs, white wine, and Parmesan come together into a rich, thick sauce that’s perfect over pasta or as the base for a lasagna.

It makes a generous batch—enough to serve about 8–10 people over pasta.

Why You’ll Love This Meat Sauce

• Rich and meaty. A full pound each of ground beef and mild Italian sausage gives this sauce plenty of flavor and substance.
• Layers of flavor. Tomatoes, herbs, white wine, and Parmesan all come together during the long, slow simmer.
• It’s versatile. Serve it over spaghetti or ziti, pair it with your favorite pasta, or use it to make lasagna.
• It feeds a crowd. One batch comfortably serves about 8–10 people.

A Few Ingredient Notes

Ground beef: I use 80/20 ground beef. It brings plenty of beef flavor and provides some rendered fat for cooking the onion and bell pepper.

Italian sausage: Mild Italian sausage adds another layer of flavor without making the finished sauce particularly spicy.

Crushed tomatoes: Tomatoes form the backbone of the sauce, so I like to use good-quality crushed tomatoes.

White wine: The wine deglazes the Dutch oven after cooking the vegetables and garlic, picking up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot and adding another layer of flavor to the sauce.

Parmigiano-Reggiano: Good-quality pre-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano works perfectly well here. I’m talking about real grated cheese—not the shelf-stable stuff in the green can.

Patrick’s Tips

Keep the simmer gentle. Every stove behaves differently. Rather than worrying about whether your burner is set to low or medium-low, adjust the heat so the sauce maintains a slow, gentle simmer.

Don’t burn the garlic. The garlic only needs about a minute before you add the wine. Keep it moving and don’t let it get too dark.

Give the tomato paste a little time. Letting the tomato paste cook for a minute or two before adding the tomatoes helps develop its flavor.

Make it as thick as you like. I prefer a fairly thick meat sauce. If it reduces more than you’d like during the long simmer, add a little water or chicken stock to loosen it.

Don’t rush it. This isn’t a 30-minute meat sauce. Give it time. The long simmer allows the meat, tomatoes, herbs, and Parmesan to come together into a rich, flavorful sauce.

What to Serve With Italian Meat Sauce

Spaghetti is the obvious choice, but this is really an all-purpose meat sauce. Serve it with ziti or another substantial pasta, use it as the sauce for lasagna, and add some garlic bread and a simple salad for a complete meal.

Print Recipe

Italian Meat Sauce

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Italian

By Patrick Dulmage – Serves: 8-10

A rich, thick Italian meat sauce made with ground beef, mild Italian sausage, tomatoes, herbs, white wine, and Parmesan.

Ingredients

• 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Vidalia onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 4–5 garlic cloves, minced
• ¾ cup white wine
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

1

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage, breaking the meat into smaller pieces as it cooks. Cook until well browned.

2

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the browned beef and sausage to a bowl and set aside. Leave about 1–2 tablespoons of the rendered fat in the Dutch oven and discard the excess.

3

If needed, add a small amount of olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add the diced onion and green bell pepper and cook for about 2 minutes.

4

Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Don't let the garlic burn.

5

Add the white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Let the wine reduce for about 2 minutes.

6

Add the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7

Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Return the browned beef and sausage to the Dutch oven and stir to combine.

8

Add kosher salt to taste, oregano, thyme, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Stir well to combine.

9

Bring the sauce just to a boil, then reduce the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer uncovered or partially covered for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the sauce becomes thicker than you'd like, add a little water or chicken stock.

10

After 1 hour, stir in the parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Continue to simmer for another 30 minutes.

11

Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve over spaghetti, ziti, or your favorite pasta, or use the sauce to make lasagna.

Notes

I prefer a fairly thick meat sauce. If the sauce gets thicker than you'd like during the long simmer, add a little water or chicken stock to loosen it. The sauce can be used over spaghetti, ziti, or your favorite pasta, and it also makes an excellent sauce for lasagna.