Looking for THE Perfect Meat Sauce? I am happy to say I have found the meat sauce that fits me and my life perfectly. It uses ingredients I already have at home (so I don’t need to buy something I will never use and end up throwing out). It has vegetables so it feels healthy and they are normally very cheap. It also tastes great because I use mixed ground beef and pork so the fat content is enough to bring out the taste but not too much to get all greasy. It’s just my dream meat sauce (yeah I realise that sounds strange but it’s just so good).
As someone who really wants to make home cooked meals for her family, I love this recipe. Don’t get me wrong. I like cooking and spending time in the kitchen but that doesn’t mean I want to be there all day. It does take a lot of energy so I always choose simple and easy recipes. Like this one!
Story time
When I grew up I LOVED the meat sauce my school cafeteria served. It was creamy, meaty and had a lovely brown (yeah, brown) colour. I desperately wanted my parents to recreate the sauce but alas no matter how many times they tried it never hit the spot. I am glad to announce that now as a twenty five year old I have finally created the meat sauce my childhood self was looking for!
Perfect for meal prepping!
This recipe is made for meal prepping and is great since you get three different meals in the end. I make this in one huge batch (1 kg of ground meat) and use it for at least three different dinner ideas.
Best thing about this recipe is that I can use it for so many things! You get three meals out of one Meat Sauce! My three go to’s are: Spaghetti, Lasagna and Meat filled Hot pockets (we call them pierogies).
If you are meal prepping for your family and kiddos this recipe is definitely for you. The meat sauce is filled with hidden vegetables and is very kid friendly.
A recipe that fits into your schedule
One great thing with this recipe is that you can make the meat sauce one day and the next day you can turn it into hot pockets or lasagna. It will fit into your schedule and honestly tastes better after sitting in the fridge for a few days (not more than four though!). I usually make the meat sauce and eat it with spaghetti on day one. Day two I make lasagna and hot pockets and freeze the rest of the meat sauce for future use. Maybe I eat it with spaghetti or maybe I want even more hot pockets, only my mood will tell
Ready to make this great Meat Sauce? Then, let’s get cooking!
Basic Meat Sauce (huge batch)
Ingredients
- 2.2 pounds mixed beef and pork ground beef (1kg) (you can use only beef but it will have more flavor if it’s mixed)
- 3 yellow onions medium sized
- 2 carrot medium sized
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 28 ounces smooth tomato sauce (800g) (make sure it's 100% tomatoes)
- 4 tbsp tomato purée
- 4 tsp dried oregano
- 3 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 vegetable bullion cubes (broth)
Instructions
- Dice the onions and carrot and press the garlic3 yellow onions, 2 carrot, 4 garlic cloves
- Fry them on medium heat with the olive oil (OBS! Don’t use too much oil! If your minced meat is half pork it will add tons of fat later on and too much olive oil in the beginning makes it too greasy in the end)1 tsp olive oil
- Make a little circle in the middle of the pan and add the tomato paste. This makes sure that the sweetness in the paste comes out when it gets to heat up on its own before you mix it in.4 tbsp tomato purée
- When the tomato paste has been heated up for a minute or two you can add the vegetable broth.2 vegetable bullion cubes
- And start folding it with the onions, carrot and garlic.
- Now it's time to add the minced meat! Turn up the heat to medium high. Make sure to use your spatula to really chop up all the meat and create a smooth sauce without lumps.2.2 pounds mixed beef and pork ground beef (1kg)
- When the meat has cooked and changed color from pink to brown it is time to add the tomato sauce and all the spices (oregano, basil, black pepper, salt).28 ounces smooth tomato sauce (800g), 4 tsp dried oregano, 3 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp salt
- Mix it all well and let it simmer on medium low heat for a few minutes. This is to make sure the meat is fully cooked and let all the flavors come together.
- And know you are done! At least with the meat sauce. You can simply boil some pasta and serve with garlic bread to make a meal right away OR you can make lasagna which I have a recipe for as well. Click here!
Notes
A great way to use this meat sauce for not only dinner, but for in between meals, is to make hot pockets or pierogies! I actually just use homemade pizza dough for this recipe and it is so good! The fact that it is easy and simple just makes it so much better.
So now comes the choice
You can either keep the sauce as it is and eat with spaghetti OR you can keep cooking and turn it into other delicious meals. And like I said you can wait a day or two if you don’t have the time or energy right after making the sauce. I recommend you make the hot pockets first, just because they are soooo good AND very convenient to heat up in the microwave and eat as a snack.
How to store the meat sauce?
Let the meat sauce cool completely (but don’t leave it out any longer than necessary). Either store it in the fridge in a container for up to four days or put the meat sauce in a freezer friendly plastic bag and freeze. I suggest you divide up the sauce into portion sizes so you can thaw the right amount right away. Make sure to remove all the air in the bag so it can freeze properly. The meat sauce can last up to three(?) months in the freezer but we always finish it way before.
When it’s time to reheat, simply thaw the meat sauce in the fridge a few hours or the day before. Then heat it up in the microwave or in a pot on the stove and then it’s ready to serve!
Finding recipes that works for you
It feels like a real accomplishment when I find the recipes that just work for me and my family. I am incredibly happy to have this versatile meat sauce that feeds my family with food that I know what is in it. It is easy to want to buy at the store whatever tastes good and is easy but you only need to have a few really good recipes that help you meal prep and make it easier for you in the future. So, I hope sharing this will make your life a bit easier and also healthier!
Let me know if you tried this recipe and what you think!
I am always looking for more inspiration and would love to hear your thoughts. So let’s help each other out! You can also use this meat sauce to make ravioli but I am getting ahead of myself. Maybe I will make a post about that some other time… Just wanted to put the idea out there! Okay, bye for now.