Italian Tomato Sauce

Nutmeg is the secret to unlocking extra flavor in this tomato sauce recipe that makes a relatively quick — and favorite — homemade sauce for pasta.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Calories: 201 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms, or to taste
• 40 ounces Italian-style stewed tomatoes
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 0.125 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 0.5 teaspoon dried oregano
• 0.25 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 0.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
• 0.25 cup chopped celery
• 0.25 cup parsley
• 0.25 teaspoon baking soda, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Stir baking soda into the sauce. Continue cooking until you can taste a reduction in acidity of the sauce, about 10 minutes more.

Step 2

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, celery, and garlic in hot oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beef and cook, stirring to break into small chunks, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes more.

Step 3

Stir stewed tomatoes and tomato paste with beef mixture until smooth; add mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, sugar, nutmeg, oregano, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is flavorful, about 10 minutes.