Incredible Italian meat sauce for pasta with ground meat and tomatoes, a classic recipe for one of the most popular Italian recipes ever!
This is a repost from March 2018. A post dedicated to Rosa, who used to write the blog For the Love of Italian Cooking, who passed away in 2018, leaving three small children behind and a lot of people who will miss her dearly.
Rosa's Ultimate Homemade Meat Sauce for Pasta
This recipe was posted by Rosa in September 2016 under the name of Ultimate Southern-Style Italian Meat Sauce (the link opens in a new tab). I followed the recipe for her calabrese sauce to the letter; I did not change a single thing; I wanted it to taste exactly as if Rosa had cooked it for us. And it was perfect, by far the best meat pasta sauce recipe I have ever made.
And if you'd like to taste some more of Rosa's recipes, try these Macerated Strawberries or the Gnuddi or Ricotta Dumplings.
Rosa had the recipe from her nonna Rosa, who lived in Calabria, Italy. This is what Rosa said about this sauce: โWhat makes this sauce Southern style is that in Calabria, meat is always simmered in an abundance of pureed tomato. This is how I remember my mom and nonna Rosa preparing their sauces. A typical Northern sauce starts with a soffrito (a mixture of finely chopped/grated onion, carrot, and celery), but in this recipe, finely diced onion is gently sauteed in olive oil. In my parents' village, it was custom not to mix onions and garlic together in a tomato sauce (for some unknown reason), but I broke that tradition by adding both in mine.โ
Ingredients
Meat: A mixture of ground beef and ground pork. If desired, use only ground beef.
Tomatoes: Passata di Pomodoro (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab), which is an Italian rustic strained tomato sauce.
Milk: This is the secret ingredient. According to Rosa, milk helps break down and tenderize the meat as it cooks. And the most important thing for me is that it helps neutralize the acidity of the tomato sauce.
Good to know!
Don't leave out the milk; it really makes a difference. I love the fact that the sauce is not that acidic anymore, and I don't need the pinch of sugar I often add to tomato sauce.
Don't waste any of the good tomato sauce that will still cling to the bottle once you've emptied it. Add a small splash of water, shake the bottle well, and pour the rest into the sauce.
Flavoring the sauce at the end with fresh basil leaves, freshly grated garlic, and a little olive oil is a genius idea! It really adds lots of extra flavor! As Rosa says: "They will take your sauce from good to ultimate".
The Italian meat sauce needs about 30 minutes of cooking time. However, you can cook it a bit longer, especially if you want to have a thicker sauce.
Make in advance
This is a great recipe to make in advance or to make in larger batches.
I often cook this to serve at parties with lots of guests. I make the sauce the day before and only have to reheat it and cook spaghetti before dinner. Everybody just loves it; I can't even remember how often I had to scribble down the recipe.
It is actually even better if you cook it one day in advance and reheat it before serving. This way, the flavors will have time to mingle.
About Rosa
As mentioned above, Rosa passed away in 2018. She was killed in an act of domestic violence by her own husband.
I did not know her long, but I knew so much about her family, about her work, about the troubles in her life, and about the difficulties she had with her husband. We talked about it, and I did my best to support her with words, but I have never realized that things were quite as bad.
I suppose one never does until it is too late. I am left with the feeling that maybe I could have done something more to help, even if I have no idea what I could have done, we were both in Germany, but so far away that an actual meeting had to be carefully planned.
Domestic violence, which occurs mostly as violence against women or children, is still an issue even in the 21st century, even in countries like Germany, the UK, or the USA, countries which put a lot of emphasis on gender equality, human rights, children, and women's rights.
According to the World Health Organization, โalmost one-third (30%) of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner in their lifetimeโ. And โglobally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partnerโ.
Terrible facts and the most terrible thing is that although things are happening, things are not happening fast enough, each day there are more women, girls, boys suffering in an abusive family environment, everywhere in this world.
Italian Meat Sauce
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion
- 1 lb ground meat 500 g, half beef, half pork, Note 1
- ยฝ cup milk 125 ml
- 1 jar tomato passata passata di pomodoro 700-800 g/ 24 oz, Note 2
- 2 whole basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- fine sea salt and pepper
Flavoring:
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 basil leaves
- 1 garlic clove
- pasta and Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Saute onion: Heat the oil in a large skillet. Fry the finely chopped onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.2 tablespoons olive oil + 1 onion
- Add the ground meat and break the lumps with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat high, add the milk, and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated.1 lb ground meat/ 500 g + ยฝ cup milk/ 125 ml
- Add the passata. Pour about ยฝ cup/ 125 ml water into the bottle of passata, shake it to clean the tomato sauce from the walls of the jar, and pour the water into the pot. Add the whole basil leaves, grated garlic, tomato paste, and some salt and pepper.1 jar tomato passata + 2 whole basil leaves + 2 garlic cloves + 1 tablespoon tomato paste + fine sea salt and pepper
- Simmer Italian sauce: Bring the sauce to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover with a lid, leaving it a bit ajar, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and continue simmering for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Flavoring: Add the remaining olive oil, minced garlic, and torn basil leaves to the dish while the sauce is still hot, and stir well. Cover and let stand for a few minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.1-2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 basil leaves + 1 garlic clove
- Serve Italian meat sauce: If making the sauce in advance, only add the flavorings after reheating, just before serving. Serve with pasta or gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmesan before serving. pasta and Parmesan
Notes
- Ground meat: You can use only beef or only pork if you like.
- Passata can be replaced with the same amount of tomatoes from a can (without any flavorings or additions) blended with an immersion blender or in a food processor.
Zoรซ Gemelli says
Oh Adina, what an incredibly moving post about my beautiful cousin Rosa. I also found out on Facebook, which was unbelievably difficult to comprehend. She was every bit as amazing as everyone has said or written. She was a genuine person. She loved. She loved life, her kids, food, her extended family. And she loved me like no one else in my entire world. I'm beyond heartbroken. It's unfathomable. We need to keep her food alive. Reminding us how precious life is. And of a beautiful person. Hugs from her cousin in Toronto. xx
Adina says
Hi Zoe. I am so sorry for Rosa, I still can't believe what happened to her and to her children, of course, it breaks my heart to think about them... I am sorry for you as well, for all your suffering, Rosa also told me about you, that you studied journalism and that you can write beautifully. I have been reading some of Rosa's old emails lately and it hurts so much to read the words she wrote an year ago knowing what has just happened... it makes me wish I could turn back time and warn her. It's strange, I have made her tiramisu at least 6 or 7 times after she gave me the recipe and it was always perfect, just like in the pictures she posted. But as I have tried to make it again recently (I wanted to post it), it failed both times... the biscuits kept floating in the mascarpone mixture... no idea why and I keep thinking that I cannot ask her anymore. I will try again, it was still the best tiramisu I have ever eaten.
Zoรซ says
She was truly one of a kind. We are all shattered that this happened to her. She lived in fear for the last few years. Now we know just how bad it really was with him, sadly. We all tried. We all supported her. Domestic violence is complicated and messy.
Keep making her tiramisu. I havenโt made it in years, but I am planning to again soon. Iโll keep you posted. Are you using store-bought ladyfingers? The recipe she shared for making your own looks great, too. Hopefully yours will come back to you. Hugs.
Sissi says
I think this is the best tribute anyone could have made to Rosa. I can sense through the photographs you have cooked it with love... I've never visited her blog, but the story is extremely shocking. At least she had your support...
I know the horrible statistics of women beaten and killed by men from their families, even in countries where in theory women have rights and places to go (such as Germany...). I know several women who are preparing for a divorce, going through it or already after it and I realise how awful the society (and families!) are to them instead of giving them support (particularly making them feel guilty about the children's future with a single parent is most destroying and vicious!). Now wonder many stay in unhappy couples. I always tell them: think about you, be happy and your children will be happy too, but it's easy to give advice of course...
Thank you so much for sharing your own feelings and experience. It was really touching....
Denise Browning says
Nothing like pasta sauce from scratch. It makes any pasta dish shine.
Monica says
I am shocked and saddened to read this, Adina. And I'm so very sorry about your friend. Thank you for sharing such a heartfelt post and for sharing your own experience. Domestic violence, gun violence, we can't seem to escape from it everywhere we turn. My family and I are attending a march tomorrow against gun violence in schools and to march for change in legislation. These are sad times in many ways and I cherish the special moments around the table with my family.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
So so sorry for your loss, Adina! That's incredibly sad. Such a sweet way to honour your friend and such a comforting recipe. Thoughts are with you. Hugs.
Anca says
I'm sorry for your loss. I know how strange it is to know somebody (even if only online) and follow their blog... and then find out on facebook that they died. What a lovely way to honour her. I imagine she would have appreciate it.
Her story seems like a very sad one. I know what you mean about violence in Romania. I think that violence towards women and children is, sadly, more common that it should be. I didn't have to face this issue in my family, but I knew about others, too many. Even so, it's something I feel very strongly about, I had countless arguments with mothers about "bataia e rupta din rai".
Maybe things change, with people going abroad and, hopefully, learning from those civilizations before returning. Maybe the new movies and the interconnection we have between us, narratives and ideologies will change. We can only hope.
Kate @ Framed Cooks says
Oh Adina, I am so very sorry. How incredibly sad, and what a loss. Thank you for sharing her recipe, and I will share it as well in her honor. xoxo
maria says
Adina, I so sad to read this about Rosa.
As a Canadian-Italian food blogger, I felt an immediate "on-line" connection with Rosa... her recipes were flawless and you could sense her passion for cooking. We would exchange comments on our blogs. From the moment we connected, I sensed Rosa was a kind and giving person.
There really are no words...
I pray for her children to be strong and to have unconditional love and support...
Thank you for sharing Rosa's recipes and keeping her memory alive.
I am truly sorry for your loss โฅ
Adina says
Thank you, Maria.
Gabriela says
I am so sorry to hear about your friend! What a wonderful article to honor her life, her love for cooking and her legacy. I lost a friend as well due to domestic abuse and I do not think I will ever be able to get over the way she died. I will also remember her. She was a wonderful person, a very educated woman and a great friend. Domestic abuse is common, ugly and can touch any woman, no matter the level of intelligence, education or experience. It is so nice of you to write about Rosa and her experience. More people need to be aware and learn how to protect against violence in general! And her recipe is wonderful! Rest in peace, Rosa!
Adina says
Thank you, Gabriela.