Vargr
Vargr
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Vargr's Spaghetti and Lasagna sauce
This is a variation on an original recipe from Lori at Allrecipes.com . Her recipe was for spicy Chipotle Lasagna. Vargr made the lasagna for Sunday supper, but as wuffy is want to do, had to put his own “stamp†on it.
However, while tasting the sauce as it was simmering, this wuffy was so delighted with the flavors that he figured his friends might enjoy it on it's own. So wuff is posting it up as a separate item, if you'd like to sauce up some spaghetti, manicotti, or similar items. I'll post up the Lasagna recipe as well, later, and you can pour this sauce into that too.
Don't let the amount of hot Italian sausage put you off. Nor the peppers that were added. I thought this was going to end up a spicy and hot sauce, but it's no such thing! Not to say you couldn't “kick it up†some (or a lot) if you wanted to. But “as isâ€, it has a robust amount of flavor, and very little “warmth†at all. Just a gentle hint of warmth that lingers a bit after swallowing a taste, and not really any at all “up frontâ€.
Of course, I suspect the brand of your 'hot' Italian sausage might make a difference. But I suspect the amount of tomatoes and other ingredients went a long way to cutting down the heat to very low levels.
I'm going to give you 'brand names' for the canned goods, where I can, as I suspect a good percentage of the flavors came from some of the included spices in the canned tomatoes and left-over Hunt's meat spaghetti sauce. You could certainly substitute “plain†tomato sauce for the Hunt's, but wuff had that left in the fridge, and this sauce tasted SO good, wuffy wanted to capture exactly what went into it.
This should be a wonderful sauce to work from as a “base†too! You can take it in a lot of directions.
Enjoy! And if you work up your own “fav†variations on this, please post them! Vargr would like to see if folks like this, and where they take it.
Note: This makes a LOT of sauce! A couple quarts worth, at least. Unless you're feeding a crowd, you may want to plan on “putting up†the leftovers in the freezer or sharing “take out tubs†of it around with friends.
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“Sausage and Beef Lasagna and Spaghetti sauceâ€- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
- 1 med yellow onion, diced
- 1 pint sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1/2 to 3/4 of a 4.6 oz jar of Spice World chopped garlic (approx 2.5-3 oz)
- Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- granulated garlic or garlic powder to taste, (about 3-4 teaspoons for me)
- 2 teaspoons fennel seed
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2-3/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 3 large dried Anaheim red peppers (softened in hot water and diced fine, tops removed)
- 2 medium Ancho dried peppers (softened in hot water and dice fine, tops and seeds removed)
- 1/2-3/4 6 ounce can “Safeway Brand†tomato paste (approx 4 oz)
- 1 14.5 oz can Safeway Fire Roasted diced tomatoes w/Garlic
- 1 14.5 oz can “Safeway Brand†diced tomatoes with celery, onions, & green peppers
- 1 “organics pack†1 oz fresh oregano, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/3-1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 8 ounce package “Spreadable†cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1/2 C Riunite Lambrusco “soft†red wine
- Approx 1/3-1/2 26.5 oz can Hunts pasta sauce, Meat flavor
Directions - Add the ground beef and Italian sausage to a large pot or Dutch oven and season with salt, pepper, granulated garlic (or garlic powder), crushed rosemary, and dried oregano. Cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, stirring vigorously to break all the meat into small chunks. Pour into colander or strainer to drain off all but about 1 Tablespoon of grease.
- Return reserved grease to pot, then stir in the onion, mushrooms, and chopped garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add red wine and continue cooking until most of the wine is evaporated and only a tablespoon or two remain.
- Return meat to pot. Stir in the minced chili peppers, tomato paste, and canned diced tomatoes. Add Hunt's sauce as necessary to make a very thick and chunky sauce. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the chopped fresh basil, Italian parsley, and oregano. Simmer 5-10 minutes more, then remove from the heat.
Can be served over spaghetti or other pasta, or used as a filling for lasagna. (I'll post the rest of the lasagna recipe later in it's own message.)
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We grow not old, so long as we continue to chase our dreams.
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