Very Special Spaghetti Sauce

Name: Very Special Spaghetti Sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: ¾ cup olive oil; 8 cloves garlic, minced; 3 pounds ground chuck; 2 large onions, chopped; 1 green bell pepper, chopped; ¼ cup all-purpose flour; 2 cups dry red wine; 2 cups tomato sauce; 4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped; 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste; 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; 2 tablespoons white sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon celery salt; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 1 tablespoon dried basil; 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

Rating: 4.46 stars

109 Ratings
89 Reviews
7 Photos

This is very meaty and not near as acid as most sauces. It's really worth the time. It makes a very large batch, so I often freeze half.

By TUCKER

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Recipe Summary

prep:

30 mins

cook:

3 hrs

total:

3 hrs 30 mins

Servings:

Yield:

12 servings

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute garlic until golden brown. Stir in ground beef, onions and green pepper. Cook until beef is evenly brown, and onions are tender. Stir in flour until smooth. Stir in red wine, tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and sugar. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, celery salt, oregano and basil. Simmer for 3 hours. Stir in mushrooms at the end of cooking period.

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Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

508 calories; protein 23.5g 47% DV; carbohydrates 20.9g 7% DV; fat 34.5g 53% DV; cholesterol 80.5mg 27% DV; sodium 847.3mg 34% DV. Full Nutrition

Reviews (89)

Most helpful positive review

Valerie Brunmeier

11/06/2006

I found I needed to make a few modifications to this recipe to get the result I was after. With the changes it was very good. Here's what I did differently. I used 1/2 lb. ground beef and 1/2 lb. ground italian sausage. I cooked this first then removed it from the pan draining ALL the grease. Then I cooked the onion and garlic (omitted bell pepper) in just a little olive oil added back the meat and added flour. We don't like a chunky sauce so I used a 29 oz. can plus a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce and omitted the chopped tomatoes. I added spices and wine as written but substituted fresh ground black pepper for the cayenne. I found that after simmering for a couple of hours it was just too thick for our taste so I added about 1 cup of water to get a nice consistency. Be sure to stir often or sauce on the bottom will char and it could ruin the whole pot of sauce. Thinning the sauce out a bit helps avoid this also. I recommend omitting the regular salt altogether or at least wait till the very end and only add as much as needed. Also taste at the end and if too acid add a bit more sugar and 1 or 2 Tbsp. butter. Both of these things help cut the acid. I used half for spaghetti and froze the rest to use another day. Read More

Helpful

(50)

Most helpful critical review

SLPARISH2

05/29/2008

This sauce was too spicey and greasy. My kids wouldn't eat it. It does have potential...maybe decrease the oil...omit the cayanne....???? Read More

Helpful

(7)

109 Ratings

5 star values: 68
4 star values: 29
3 star values: 7
2 star values: 4
1 star values: 1

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

Valerie Brunmeier

11/06/2006

Helpful

(50)

Julie

09/20/2005

This is the first time I've ever made homemade spaghetti sauce and this recipe is definitely a keeper. I made it for a church gathering and within minutes not only was it gone but people were asking me for the recipe. I tweaked the recipe based other other reviewers' recommendations: I used only 2 T of olive oil 1 onion a 29 oz can of tomato sauce only 1/2 t. of cayenne and it was perfect for my taste. I also drained the fat before I added the flour. It took 3 hours to simmer and a little chopping but other than that it was simple and well-worth the extra wait. "Arriverderci!" to Ragu and Prego. Read More

Helpful

(24)

RUBYWIFE

12/08/2003

Oh my goodness I used to have this recipe years ago and lost it. How awesome to find it here. I could never remember the ingredients. It's a wonderful recipe. I always added bacon into my sauce. It added a nice flavor. The worchestershire sauce gives this recipe a fantastic flavor. Read More

Helpful

(23)

LisaRL

08/15/2005

I have tried several times to make my own sauce....never liked any of them. I don't like sauces that are too tangy or too sweet...this one was soooooo perfect. I didn't change anything as I like to try recipes the way they are the first time and tweak them later. However this recipe in my opinion needs no tweaking. Also I have tried several recipes from this website but this was the first one I felt deserved reviewed! Thank you Shelley for a great red sauce recipe!!! Read More

Helpful

(17)

ritacake

07/04/2007

Excellent! My husband loves this recipe. I used canned tomatoes instead of fresh and used brown sugar instead of white. I will no longer buy spaghetti sauce. This is it. Read More

Helpful

(16)

Deedle Gee

09/13/2005

This was a good sauce. I put it in the slowcooker for 4 hours on low and even my picky eater wolfed it back without any complaint. Next time I will use another red wine tho. I tasted the wine after I made the sauce and found that I really didn't like it. I will have to find a red wine that I like and try it again. Read More

Helpful

(13)

posch05

03/30/2006

The only thing that prevented this from getting "5 stars" was the cayenne....I like spice but not in spaghetti sauce. We've made it several times now without the cayenne & love it like that. Read More

Helpful

(10)

Starflower

10/03/2005

I did a 6 person serving and it was still enough for an army. This was pretty good. I cut the wine down to 6 TBS for a 6 person serving because in my XP too much wine is not a good thing. I also only used 1/8 tsp of cayenne. Children do not like cayenne. The worcestershire was a pretty good add-in. I also would recommend making it with Roma tomatoes over any other tomatoes unless you have fresh garden tomatoes. The recipe didn't specify a certain type. Overall I'd make it again. Read More

Helpful

(8)

Butterfly Flutterby

07/30/2005

Very good! I didn't add the celery salt or salt since the tomato products I used had so much sodium content already and my hubby is on meds for high blood pressure. I didn't use the olive oil either since the meat was rather fat. I drained the fat off after browning the meat and prior to adding the other ingredients. My family enjoyed this. Thanks for the post! Read More

Helpful

(7)

SLPARISH2

05/29/2008

This sauce was too spicey and greasy. My kids wouldn't eat it. It does have potential...maybe decrease the oil...omit the cayanne....???? Read More

Helpful

(7)

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Nutritional Information

Very Special Spaghetti Sauce

Servings Per Recipe: 12
Calories: 508.1

% Daily Value *

protein: 47 %

carbohydrates: 7 %

exchange other carbs:

dietary fiber: 15 %

sugars:

fat: 53 %

saturated fat: 51 %

cholesterol: 27 %

vitamin a iu: 25 %

niacin equivalents: 78 %

vitamin b6: 44 %

vitamin c: 47 %

folate: 10 %

calcium: 6 %

iron: 28 %

magnesium: 21 %

potassium: 32 %

sodium: 34 %

thiamin: 27 %

calories from fat:

percent of calories from carbs:

percent of calories from fat:

percent of calories from protein:

percent of calories from sat fat:

*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.

Reviews for: Photos of Very Special Spaghetti Sauce

1 of 89

All Reviews

Valerie Brunmeier

11/06/2006

Helpful

(50)

Julie

09/20/2005

Helpful

(24)

RUBYWIFE

12/08/2003

Helpful

(23)

LisaRL

08/15/2005

Helpful

(17)

ritacake

07/04/2007

Excellent! My husband loves this recipe. I used canned tomatoes instead of fresh and used brown sugar instead of white. I will no longer buy spaghetti sauce. This is it.

Helpful

(16)

Deedle Gee

09/13/2005

Helpful

(13)

posch05

03/30/2006

The only thing that prevented this from getting "5 stars" was the cayenne....I like spice but not in spaghetti sauce. We've made it several times now without the cayenne & love it like that.

Helpful

(10)

Starflower