Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce

Name: Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce
Yield: Serves 8 to 12 (Makes about 6 cups sauce, enough for 2 lbs pasta)
Cuisine: Europe, Italian
Ingredients: 4 ounces, white mushrooms, trimmed and broken into rough pieces; 1 slice, hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters; 2 tablespoons, whole milk; 1/2 teaspoon, table salt; 1/2 teaspoon, black pepper; 1 pound, 85 percent lean ground beef; 1 tablespoon, olive oil; 1 large, onion, chopped fine; 6 , garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon, tomato paste; 1/4 teaspoon, red pepper flakes; 1 , (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained with 1/4 cup juice reserved; 1 tablespoon, minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried; 1 , (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes; 1/4 cup, grated Parmesan cheese

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Appears in Cook's Country April/May 2015

Meat sauce is often uninspired—or worse, features rubbery meat. Here’s how to make it right.

SERVES8 to 12 (Makes about 6 cups sauce, enough for 2 lbs pasta)

TIME1¼ hours

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

We love our Italian-Style Meat Sauce on pasta or just spooned straight from the pot. To achieve a deep, meaty flavor without overcooking the ground beef, we don’t brown it before stewing it with tomatoes. Instead, we make the most of the br...

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