Homemade Spaghetti Sauce With Veggies and Meat (Dinner Size Recipe or Freezer Batch Recipe)
This unique spaghetti sauce has a bold, deep flavor from tons of basil, peppers, mushrooms, a few surprise ingredients, and plenty of beef! Make one batch to have for dinner tonight or make a big freezer batch and save it for busy nights! Dinner Size Recipe make 6 servings of sauce. Freezer size recipe makes five quarts of sauce to freeze.
Prep Time45 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: spaghetti sauce, freezer meal, big batch cooking
Servings: 12
Calories: 474kcal
Author: Mirlandra Neuneker
Ingredients
Ingredients for a Family Size Batch (Serves 6 people)
1candiced tomatoes28oz each or equivalent from garden
1 cancrushed tomatoes28oz each or equivalent from garden
4 Tablespoonsbasil pestoI use Kirkland
1Tablespoon garlicminced
1teaspoonfresh thymeminced
1teaspoonfresh oreganominced
2 teaspoonsBetter than Bouillon Beef Baseor favorite bouillon
2teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1/2teaspoonwhite pepper
1 1/2poundsground beef12%-16% fat
1/2red bell pepperdiced
1/2green bell pepperdiced
3jalapeno peppersdiced (see note)
1largesweet oniondiced
8brown mushroomssliced
2 Tablespoonsbutter
1Tablespoon white sugaror to taste
olive oil and salt as needed for sauteing
Ingredients for a Big Freezer Batch (Makes 5 quarts)
2cans of diced tomatoes28oz each (or equivalent from garden)
2cans of crushed tomatoes28oz each (or equivalent from garden)
8Tbsp.basil pestoI use Kirkland
2Tbsp.minced fresh garlic
2tsp.fresh thyme
2tsp.fresh oregano
4tsp.Better than Bouillon Beef Base or preferred beef bouillon
1Tbsp.black pepper
1tsp.white pepper
3poundsground beef12 – 16% fat (or 2 pounds if you prefer a less meaty sauce)
1red bell pepper
1green bell pepper
6jalapenossee note*
2onionssweet if you can get them
16large mushrooms
4Tbsp.butter
2-3tsp.saltto taste
2Tbsp.sugaror to taste
Olive oil and salt as needed for frying
Instructions
In a large soup pot with a heavy bottom combine diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, pesto, garlic, thyme, oregano, beef bouillon, black pepper and white pepper. Turn the pot on medium and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile crumble beef into large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the beef, stirring often and cooking until the pink is just gone. Add the beef and all the drippings that have come out (so entire contents of skillet) to the pot with the tomato mixture.
Seed and dice the red bell pepper, green bell pepper and jalapenos. Using the same skillet, fry on medium high heat with a little olive oil and sprinkle of salt until the peppers become slightly softened and take on a few dark tinges. Stir frequently and add additional oil if needed. Add the peppers to the tomato mixture.
Dice the onions. Using the same skillet fry on medium high heat with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt until the onions have softened and turned slightly golden-brown. Stir frequently and add additional oil if needed. Add the onions to the tomato mixture.
Slice the mushrooms. Using the same skillet add the mushrooms, butter, and a dash of salt. Fry on medium high heat until the mushrooms have rendered some water and have a nice golden tinge to the edges. Stir frequently and add additional oil if needed. Add the mushrooms to the tomato mixture.
Stir your sauce well and taste it. Depending on how much salt you used in the veggie prep process and on the brand of bouillon you used you will probably need to add 2-3 teaspoons of salt now. I suggest you add one teaspoon at a time and taste between additions. Most brands of canned tomatoes are not very sweet. The sauce should be faintly sweet as if you used the most perfect garden ripe tomatoes. I generally add 2 Tbsp. of sugar to my sauce but taste before you do this because brands and garden varieties of tomatoes differ.
Serve your sauce hot or cool and freeze. I like to make mine the day before and refrigerate it because the flavor will develop with sitting. Please do not simmer sauce for hours after everything is added. This causes the meat to become rubbery and the flavor to cook out.
Notes
Cooking With Jalapenos: The most frustrating thing about cooking with jalapenos is that the level of heat changes with every batch you buy! They are usually spicier in the winter and less spicy in the summer. If you want more spice add additional peppers or include the seeds / white part with your peppers. The only true way to determine the level of spice in your peppers is to taste for heat before cooking with them.