The most time-consuming part of making a great Italian Meat Sauce is the slow breakdown of the meat and all the tomatoes and onions blended with the herbs and spices. This is probably the main reason you never make this sauce and generally resort to a jar of marinara sauce. Stop cheating yourself and start treating yourself with a delicious rich meaty sauce for your Italian-styled meals.
Heat a large enamel-coated cast iron Dutch oven on medium heat.
Add beef fat or cooking oil.
Add the diced onions and saute until translucent.
Add the minced garlic and saute until light brown.
Add the ground beef, salt, and Italian seasoning, and saute until all the beef is browned.
Remove the beef into a separate bowl, but let the fat remain.
Deglaze the pot with red wine and simmer until reduced by 2/3s.
Add the tomato paste to the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes, still occasionally to prevent sticking to the pan.
Add the beef back to the pot, add the wine mix thoroughly, and simmer until thickened.
Remove from heat, let cool, and portion and seal in vacuum bags.
This is the meat component of the sauce.
Thanks for printing this recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.