Meat Sauce

Ingredients

• 4  bay leaves 
• 12 servings garlic-cheese bread for serving
• 15 ounce canned tomatoes crushed canned
• 56 ounce tomatoes crushed canned
• 2 pounds pasta like spaghetti with olive oil, for serving cooked
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper red crushed
• 0.3 cup parsley fresh finely minced
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 2  bell peppers diced green seeded
• 3 pounds ground beef (I used ground round)
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme 
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt 
• 24 ounce tomatoes good store-bought canned (you can use another jar if you like the sauce to be more saucy than meaty)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano 
• 0.5 cup parmesan grated plus more for serving
• 1  rind from wedge parmesan whole
• 2 pounds sausage 
• 2 tablespoons sugar 
• 6 ounce tomato paste canned
• 1 cup white wine (your choice)
• 2 large onions diced yellow

Equipment

• bowl
• pot
• slotted spoon

Directions

1. Watch how to make this recipe.
2. In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and sausage until totally browned.
3. Remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and put it into a bowl. Set aside.
4. Discard any grease in the pot, but do not clean the pot.
5. Drizzle in the olive oil. When it is heated, throw in the onions and bell peppers. Stir it around for 1 1/2 minutes, and then add the garlic. Stir and cook for an additional minute.
6. Pour in the wine and allow it to bubble up and reduce for about 1 1/2 minutes.
7. Add the crushed tomatoes, marinara sauce and tomato paste. Stir to combine, and then add the sugar, salt, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper if using and bay leaves. Stir, and then add the cooked ground beef and sausage and stir to combine.
8. Place the lid on the pot and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
9. Add a little water or some low-sodium broth if it needs more liquid.
10. After an hour, add the minced parsley and the Parmesan rind if using (or grated Parmesan if you prefer--or both!). Stir to combine, and then put the lid back on and allow it to simmer for another 30 minutes or so. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
11. Serve a big bowl of oiled noodles and the meat sauce so guests can serve themselves. Top each serving with minced parsley and grated Parmesan (or Parmesan shavings) and serve with a big piece of garlic-cheese bread.