READY IN ABOUT 7 hrs

Nana's Slow Cooked Meaty Tomato Sauce

Read Reviews (24)

"Although my grandma was Danish, she was famous for her slow-cooked Italian tomato sauce. It cooks a long time, but is well worth the wait." — Lora

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in Italian sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir until the meat is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, about 15 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash and blend the meat mixture every few minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease.
Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, chicken broth, red wine, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, and black pepper.
Transfer the sauce to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 30 mins
COOK 6 hrs 15 mins
READY IN 6 hrs 45 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Note:
I recommend using fire-roasted canned tomatoes. If you don't have fresh basil, you can substitute 2 tablespoons dried.

Reviews More Reviews

Apr 10, 2012

I tweaked the recipe a little by adding one diced green pepper, two cloves of diced garlic, and using vegetable broth instead of chicken. I fry mushrooms in butter, place on the pasta and smother it in the sauce.

—dt

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Apr 24, 2012

My husband usually dreads it when I make pasta because the sauce is always so lacking. THIS he absolutely loved. He said "You can make this almost every day of the week!" And I only used beef, no sausage - so next time I'll try using the sausage as well. Thanks, Lora, it was a big hit!

—azgkrudi

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30 Ratings

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Sep 12, 2012

I followed this to a "T" and my husband says it is the best sauce he's ever had. Second time I made it I cut way back on the meat and just used Italian Sausage. It turned out just as good! This freezes great, and now we have it on hand all the time.

—judy

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May 29, 2012

This sauce was really delicious! My dad and my husband both said that it was the best sauce that they had ever had. I did make a few adjustments. I didn't use the ground beef (there was plenty of meat between the two types of sausage) I also only used 3 cans of diced tomatoes and I used tomato puree b/c I didn't have any tomato sauce. Oh and I also upped the wine to 1 full cup (it really boosted the flavor). Anyway its a great recipe and it makes a ton , so you're able to freeze it and use later for a quick dinner.

—Merissa

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Aug 21, 2012

Wow! So delicious! I omitted the ground beef because I didn't need that much sauce. I also added a heaping 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper because my family loves spicy food. So good!

—laurenimoo

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Feb 14, 2013

I have been looking for a good tomato sauce recipe and I found it. This is excellent exactly as written!

—Brooksy

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Nov 29, 2012

Wow! This is an excellent recipe. My instinct told me to take off the lid of my cooker during the last 1.5 hr to thicken the sauce and that worked out well. Suggest adding fresh basil after cooking has shut off.I love this red sauce w/meat

—HankWest

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Nov 11, 2012

Yum - also used it to make lasagne and it got raves from every kid in my neighborhood. Unlike a lot of other reviewers I added more ground beef as my kids like their sauce meaty, as well as sweet and spicy Italian sausages. Couldn't find fresh basil but dried was fine.

—MBUTTLER

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Nutrition

Calories
289 kcal
14%

Carbohydrates
18.6 g
6%

Cholesterol
47 mg
16%

Fat
16.6 g
25%

Fiber
4 g
16%

Protein
17 g
34%

Sodium
1565 mg
63%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Nana's Slow Cooked Meaty Tomato Sauce

Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 289
Calories from Fat: 149

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 16.6g 25 %
Saturated Fat 5.8g 29 %
Cholesterol 47mg 16 %
Sodium 1565mg 63 %
** Potassium 1013mg 28 %
Total Carbohydrates 18.6g 6 %
Dietary Fiber 4g 16 %
Protein 17g 34 %
** Sugars 10.2g
Vitamin A 19 %
Vitamin C 44 %
Calcium 12 %
Iron 43 %
** Thiamin 49 %
** Niacin 56 %
** Vitamin B6 34 %
** Magnesium 20 %
** Folate 17 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.