Liz’s Kitchen: Mama Mantel’s Meat Sauce Recipe

Hands-down this is one of my favorite meals to have, this and my mom’s pot roast. My mom wasn’t exactly what you would call a chef when we were growing up but she still holds some of my favorite recipes. She found this recipe in a Rotation Diet cookbook and now we know it by heart! It’s a hearty and thick sauce that sometimes I eat without noodles…it’s that good! You are going to love this sauce and your house is going to smell great with it simmering on the stove. (Heads-up, the pictures reflect a doubling of the recipe – which is what I always do!)

Mama Mantel’s Meat Sauce

1 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Get you mise en place out of the way and chop up your celery, onion and green pepper.

Sauté your veggies in your pot or dutch oven ( I use a dutch oven) and let them brown.

Next, you can do one of two things – you can add the meat to the veggies and let it brown. Or, if you’re doubling the recipe remove the veggies and set aside and then brown the meat. Either way, you’ll want to drain any excess liquid out of the pot.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire and spices to the pot and stir. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

Let simmer for as long as you can to let all those flavors marry. If you’re feeling like fun you can add some wine to the sauce or even just water if you think the sauce is too thick, but again you’ll want to let it simmer.