Hearty Spaghetti Sauce

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We love when Grammy Paylor comes to town because she makes us a huge batch of hearty spaghetti sauce.  She usually starts this mid-day and allows the sauce to simmer on low throughout the afternoon and early evening.  By dinner the flavors have combined and the sauce has thickened quite a bit. She then leaves it in the refrigerator overnight so that most of the fat rises to the surface and hardens so that it is easy to remove before freezing extra sauce.  This recipe fills 4-5 Quart-sized Zip-lock bags and freezes well.  A day before using the frozen sauce I place it in a container to thaw slowly in the refrigerator.  This is like gold as the kids look so forward to Grammy’s spaghetti sauce weeks after she has gone home.  I sometimes ‘dilute’ the sauce with plain tomato sauce or even Prego to make it stretch even further.  This sauce served over spaghetti is a favorite weeknight dinner.  This is what I like to call a “whatever” recipe.  There is no exact recipe to follow, just taste as you go and make sure the amount of Italian seasoning, brown sugar and salt are to your liking.  Mushrooms are optional, although Grammy always lovingly adds them to the her sauce.

Grammy Paylor’s Hearty Spaghetti Sauce

  • 4 pounds lean ground beef
  • 2 pounds mild Italian sausage
  • 2 large onions
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 30 large mushrooms, sliced – (2 small 8 oz. containers) – optional
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 4-6 Tablespoons Italian seasoning (or to taste)
  • 4-5 bay leaves
  • 2 large (29 oz) cans stewed tomatoes* 
  • 2 large (29 oz) cans tomato sauce 
  • 2 small cans tomato paste
  • garlic salt, to taste

 In a large stock pot saute onions and garlic in olive oil.  Add the sliced mushrooms to cook with the onion and garlic.  Next brown the ground beef with the garlic, onion, and mushroom.  Cook the Italian sausage in a separate frying pan and drain excess fat from the cooked sausage.  Pour prepared sausage into the pot with the ground beef.  Add the stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste.  Season with Italian seasoning, brown sugar, and bay leaves.  Simmer on low several hours to allow the sauce to thicken and the flavors to combine.  Taste and add garlic salt as needed. Serve immediately.

If time permits, chill the sauce overnight.  Remove hardened fat.   Place extra sauce in quart sized Ziploc bags and freeze for easy weeknight dinners.  It is rather meaty so sometimes I dilute it with some prego sauce (or plain tomato sauce), especially if I am making lasagna or a dish that is a bit lighter. 

*if desired substitute diced tomatoes for stewed tomatoes