Meat Lover’s Pasta Sauce
Lots of protein in this pasta sauce!
Servings 20 + servings
Calories 346kcal
Cost $10
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 pork chops
- 4 Italian Sausage
- 3 - 4 meaty Chicken pieces
For meatballs
- 1.5 lbs Ground Beef
- 1 c dried bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 c parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 1 large onion , chopped
- 4 - 5 cloves garlic
- 1/2 - 1 lb crimini, white button, portabella, etc. mushrooms
- 4 quarts crushed tomatoes (4- 5 large cans)
- 2 Tbsp dried Basil
- 2 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 Tbsp oregano, dried
- 1 Tbsp Salt , to taste
- 1 Tbsp Pepper
- about 1 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
For meatballs
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Mix all ingredients together with hands.
- Shape into balls with ice cream scoop, or something similar to ensure meatballs are approximately the same size.
- Place meatballs on baking sheet with sides to catch the juice.
- Bake 20-25 minutes at 375°F until browned.
- Let cool thoroughly. Store in refrigerator overnight.
For Meat and Sauce
- Brown Pork, Chicken, Italian Sausage and any other meats on all sides in the same pan on high heat with a splash of olive oil. When each meat is browned on all sides, remove to slow cooker.
- In the same pan lightly brown onion. When onion is almost browned add garlic and cook along until garlic is fragrant.
- De-glaze pan with wine, scraping off all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add 1 can of crushed tomatoes to the same pan to make sure you can retrieve all the browned goodness on the bottom of the pan.
- Add onion, garlic and tomato mixture to the slow cooker, along with the remaining tomatoes and spices.
- In a separate pan saute' sliced mushrooms until soft in a splash of olive oil. Add to slow cooker.
- Cook on high for about 2-3 hours. Lower temperature to low and cook for the rest of the day.
- Cool sauce and refrigerate overnight.
- Scrape accumulated fat off the top of the pan.
- Turn sauce on high again in the morning to heat it up. When it starts to bubble, reduce heat to low.
- About 1 hour before dinner, if the sauce has thickened up enough, increase heat to high and remove lid to allow evaporation.
- Add meatballs and parmesan cheese.
- Cook for an hour or so until meatballs are hot.
- Cook pasta according to pasta directions. Drain and reserve 1 cup of cooking water.
- Combine pasta, sauce and some of the cooking water. Add more meat and sauce to the top of an individual plate.
- Serve with more cheese, a side salad and garlic bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 965mg | Potassium: 741mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 435IU | Vitamin C: 18.5mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 4.1mg