This is a perfect recipe to either make alone or with friends. If you make it for yourself there will be plenty of leftovers and the sauce holds very well. In my view this is the only way to make a sauce.


You will need:

• 3-4 Carrots Chopped
  

• 3-4 Celery Sticks Chopped
  

• 1/2 Yellow Onion Chopped
  

• 1 pound ground beef (I like it with less fat)
  

• 1/2 Cup Red Wine
  

• 24 ounce bottle of pureed tomatoes
  

• 12 ounces of water (fill up half of the empty tomato bottle)
  

• 1/2 pound of Pasta
  

• Salt and Pepper
  

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Directions:

You will need to chop the carrots, celery and yellow onion. You can chop it finely, but do not stress if you can’t make the the vegetables that small. I do not want you to cut your finger.

Once that is all chopped place a large sauté pan on medium heat and add some olive oil. Let that olive oil heat up then add all of the vegetables. Make sure to add a lot of salt and mix it all around.

You want to mix around the vegetables frequently, this sauté process will take a while, about 15 minutes. You will know when the vegetables are done when the carrots start to brown, please do not be impatient. It is very important for the carrots to be cooked down because this is where the sweetness of your sauce comes from.

Once you notice the carrots becoming brown, add your pound of ground beef. The ground beef will cook rather quickly, and this is why I like using lean meat because there is less juice from the fat that needs to burn off. Break down the meat quickly and make sure it is fully cooked (no more than 5 minutes). Once the meat is cooked, add half of the wine to the pan. This is the best part, and it smells so good. Cook the wine for about 30 seconds, then add the rest of the wine. Make sure you stir so everything is coated with the wine. Cook this for another 30 seconds then add the puréed tomatoes and the water.

Make sure to mix well and add more salt and pepper. You need to reduce the heat to low, and keep it all of a low simmer for at least an hour. The reason why you add water is so that you can cook the sauce without it burning. You want to cook the sauce for a long time. If you are in a rush, add little to no water and you a speed cook the sauce in 20-30 minutes. But the longer the better the flavors. You can leave this uncovered.

About 40 minutes in, start the water for your pasta. Once the water is about to boil, add some salt, and then throw your pasta in when the water is ready. For this meal I suggest Penne Pasta or Rigatoni.

Cook the pasta, drain it and add it to your sauce. If there isn’t enough room in your pan that put the sauce in your pasta pot.

Make sure to mix and I recommend serving with some chopped basil and Parmesan cheese.