To know me is to know I love pasta. Like way more than I should. I like it all, except penne. Penne is gross. If you go to a restaurant with one pasta dish on the menu, it’s most likely penne,* and it’s probably a restaurant with no business having pasta on the menu. It’s fine if you like it, but you’d be wrong. I kid, I kid.

When my grandma cooked homemade sauce it was an all day process. It was equally wonderful and torturous to smell it simmering throughout the day. She gave me little jobs to help, or get me out from underfoot, like picking a sweet bay leaf from a pot on the porch. I had to pick the right leaf or the sauce would be ruined. I took this job very seriously and examined each leaf with care.

In high school, I adored spaghetti night at my friend Marni’s house, because her mom’s sauce reminded me of my Grandma’s. Years later, Ms. W. made a huge batch of it for my rehearsal dinner. So good. I used Marni’s version of that recipe as a base to develop my own. I like it so much that I typically make this for my own birthday dinner.

One addition is fish sauce. Say what?! Hear me out. It does NOT make food taste fishy. It adds a bit of salt and goodness, some say umami. My husband saw me put it in once, and thought I grabbed the wrong bottle. He complained until I informed him I had put it in the sauce for YEARS. Now, he’s a believer. If it freaks you out, it’s fine to skip, but I like it better included.

Note: this makes a LOT of sauce. The intention is to have plenty for freezing or to make lasagna.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey) – I usually use turkey. Sometimes I use mild sausage instead of ground turkey.
• 1 package hot Italian sausage – get mild if you don’t like the heat; if you buy the links instead of the ground package, remove all of the casings
• 1 package sweet Italian sausage (same deal with the casings)
• 4 cans (29 ounces each) San Marzano crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato paste
• 4 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (optional)
• Additional salt & pepper to taste

In a large heavy stockpot, sauté the onion in butter & olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent, but not browned, about 5-10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown/burn!

Add & brown meat and sausage. If using beef, you may need to drain some of the fat before proceeding.

Add crushed tomatoes and swish the water around in the cans before adding the water to the pot. Stir in seasonings and any remaining ingredients. Let simmer for at least one hour. Stir occasionally. If it’s too thick, you can add a little more water.

Remove bay leaves and add additional salt or pepper if needed. It’s ready to serve with your favorite pasta.

To freeze, cool completely, then place in baggies or freezer-safe containers. Leave a little room at the top for expansion. To defrost, simmer covered over medium heat until heated through.

*This is an observation not at all backed by statistics or data of any kind.