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italian meat sauce sprinkled with small basil leaves in a dutch oven.
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4.84 from 6 votes

Italian Meat Sauce

Incredible Italian meat sauce for pasta with ground meat and tomatoes, a classic recipe for one of the most popular Italian recipes ever!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Pasta and Rice
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 585kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 1 lb ground meat 500 g, half beef, half pork, Note 1
  • ½ 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 + ½ cup milk/ 125 ml
  • Add the passata. Pour about ½ 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

  1. Ground meat: You can use only beef or only pork if you like.
  2. 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the dish | Calories: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 474mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g