Spaghetti Night Sauce

Ingredienser

750 grams medium ground beef

750 grams ground pork

3 cans tomatoes (796 mL each, 2 cans San Marzano from Costco, 1 can of anything else)

3 cans tomato paste (156 mL each)

1 kilogram carrots

1/2 celery stalk

4 large cooking onions

1 head garlic

140 grams fresh mushrooms (cremini, shiitake)

375 mL red wine

3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon red chilli pepper flakes

Salt and black pepper to taste

Fremgangsmåte

Day 1

- Peel and roughly chop the carrots. Roughly chop the celery and onions. Peel and chop the garlic or use a garlic press. Remove stems from mushrooms.

- Heat a large 7 quart dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and cook mushrooms. Remove.

- Add more olive oil, onions, and a little bit of salt and cook until translucent and they have reduced in volume. Optional: if time permits, keep cooking until they have reached a blonde caramelization.

- Add carrots and celery and cook for a few minutes, just until fragrant.

- Add garlic and cook for a minute or two, just until fragrant.

- Add canned tomatoes. Rinse cans with a bit of water and add water to pot. Add cooked mushrooms back in.

- Add oregano, rosemary, basil, parsley, thyme and a little bit of salt and pepper.

- Bring to a simmer with high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 3-5 hours, or until liquid has significantly reduced. Stir every 5-10 minutes to ensure the bottom doesn't burn. Taste every few hours, adding salt and pepper as required.

- Let cool then blend. Put in the fridge overnight.

Day 2

- Put vegetable blend from day 1 and 2 cans of tomato paste in a 7 quart slow cooker and set to high.

- Heat dutch oven over medium high heat. Add olive oil and ground beef and pork.

- Once fully cooked, add red wine, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, and paprika. Cook until wine is mostly reduced. If short on time, wine can be reduced while meat cooks in a separate saucepan.

- Add third can of tomato paste and cook for a few minutes.

- Remove from heat and add to the slow cooker.

- After one hour on high, set slow cooker to low for 8 hours if you have time. Otherwise just leave it on high.

- Taste sauce every few hours and add salt and pepper as required.

Notater

August 2025

- Tried adding 1 teaspoon of ground mustard and 1 teaspoon of chicken "better than bouillon" paste to meat along with wine and other spices. 1 cup of chicken stock can be used but make sure to reduce it like the wine.

- Volume was close to max in the slow cooker with 1.5 kilograms of ground meat