Grandma's Meat Sauce

This recipe is FABULOUS! I did make a few changes though. I substituted the veal and steak with ground turkey (less fat), I seasoned the meat and added chopped onion while browning and I added chopped mushrooms to the simmering sauce. Plus I was only patient enough to let it simmer for about 45 min. I used it as a lasagne sauce. The sauce was slightly runny when I assembled the lasagne, but thickened quite nicely in the oven. My husband said it was restaurant quality. I gave half the lasagne to my mom, and she asked for the recipe because she & her husband liked it so much! I will definitely make this again!

If your looking for the ultimate Meat Sauce, this is it!!! Its AWESOME !!!! I did make a few changes to it I used Hot Italian sausgaes instead of sweet, 1/2 tsp of thyme a dash of salt and used ground beef instead of the steak. I also like vegetables in my sauce so I added some onions, celery and mushrooms. I added 1/5 a cup of red wine near the last 15 minutes of cooking as well. Next time I might add a little sugar. It was great, this one is a keeper. Thank you!

My husband and I thought this recipe was definitely restaurant quality. I substituted turkey italian sausage for the regular italian sausage to save on fat and I used ground sirloin and ground pork instead of cubed veal and steak. If you are looking for a fresh gourmet tasting sauce this is the sauce for you!

WOW!! Instead of Veal and beef cubes I used a ground veal, beef and pork mix available in the meat section of your local grocery store. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly. This sauce was delicious!! It freezes well too :)

Delicious! I had never before made any kind of sauce from scratch and now my husband thinks I'm a gourmet chef. This was so easy - but I won't tell him that... I used ground beef, ground veal and sweet basil Italian sausages. I also added a splash of red wine about 15 minutes prior to serving but I only let the sauce simmer for 1 hour. My family was starving at the time and the aroma made it impossible to wait any longer. The recipe made enough sauce that I could freeze half. The sauce would be great for lasagna too so I'll try that next time. I will make this again and again and again! Thanks Grandma!!!

Absolutely wonderful. The only change I made was to add the wine which was suggested, fresh basil, dried thyme, & sliced fresh mushrooms, didn't cook first just added to sauce. I did use hot Italian sausage instead of sweet, I always use hot. Enjoy. The only change necessary would be the choice between the hot & sweet, everything else I am sure everyone would like.

Wow, my Italian boyfriend was impressed and said this was better than our favorite restaurant's sauce. I followed the recipe as is and it came out delicious. Thank you!

this is pretty freaking awesome. i used ground beef and italian sausage....didn't puree it....and LOVED it! I made a full batch then froze the leftovers in jars for later....i will definitely be making this again and again.

Awesome recipe. I substituted 1lb ground turkey and 1lb ground steak. I also sauted onion when I browned my meat then added that to my sauce. I also added mushroom. I did a red wine reduction after I finshed cooking my meat and mushrooms. I like my spices so I added a few more: I added 1 tsp thyme, 2 tbsp freshly minced basil, 1 tbsp parsley.

this was GREAT!!!!1

We loved this recipe. Used ground beef, ground pork, and hot italian sausage. Delicious!

awesome, oh wow, like totally freak me out I mean right on... 'cause toro's sure are number one!

I'm quite surprised at how high this recipe gets reviewed. I followed it exactly and was very disappointed. The meat in the dish was so overwhelming you can not really taste the tomatoes or any of the garlic, I even let it simmer for an extra hour to no avail. This was a bland and heavy sauce, I don't even want to eat the leftovers.

I'v been making this for years. The only thing I do differently is I have started grinding my spices up. It shortens the simmering time to about an hour.So when I get home from work at 4pm I can still have dinner on by 6:30 if I hurry. I also use whole wheat pasta with flax seed from hodgson mills.

A good recipe. I liked it. I substituted 2 lbs of ground beef for the 3 lbs of meat in the recipe. Everything else stayed the same. Not as good reheated.

Just right! I used sausage I made myself, and round steak I ground myself. I did not use veal. I used all fresh herbs and added a good dose of crushed red pepper for some spice. I made a double batch and froze half for another day. I made lasagna and used the fresh home made ricotta recipe from this site. It was a wonderful, delicious meal we will be having again.

This is a great recipe, especially for people who love a very meaty sauce. I find that when you cook meat in the sauce, the sauce becomes more greasy and runny and doesn't stick to the noodles. I make this same exact sauce without any meat, and then add meat to the pasta dish and it works a lot better for me. You can use this same recipe without the meat and add a 6 oz can of tomato paste to make pizza sauce.

Excellent recipe for a homemade meat sauce. I substituted veal with ground pork and my grocery store did not carry sweet Italian sausage. I had to use a mild Italian sausage. My husband and in-laws raved that they thoroughly loved it. I am not a huge fan of sausage but still enjoyed it. I will make this again.

Such a simple recipe, with simple items. I never thought to "grind" the meat to make a smoother consistency, but it sure made for a really nice meat sauce that my 11 year old and the rest of the family liked. The round steak gave a nice meaty flavor. I did not use veal, but used freshly ground beef (15%). That was the only change. Used a hand immersion blender. Will use this great recipe when I need a great meat sauce!

I would have given this a four, but my mother in law, mom and husband all raved about it so much, that I'm giving it five. Like others, I just used sausage and hamburger. I also through in a little sugar and parma cheese in at the end, but other than that, followed it to the letter. Very tasty!

Thanks everyone for the rave reviews! Just wanted to say that like many of you, i've often substituted grounds meats and i've also used ground turkey instead of beef to cut back on the fat, although there is a taste difference when you use turkey instead of beef (not bad at all, but something is definitely lacking).

Thank you for this recipe. I made it exactly as you said and it is fantastic. Also a fairly easy recipe and enjoyable to make. Thanks again!

By far the best I have ever had! Thanks so much, I didn't change a thing!!

Not much flavor in this sauce, it tasted mostly of meat. I did not care for it and would not make this again. I could see where it would maybe work in a lasagna where you get your flavor from other ingredients. My husband says he liked it, so I would say try it for yourself.

I've made this sauce for my whole family and they loved it. I made some slight changes as well but kept true to the integrity of the sauce. Thank you for posting.

I used a little over a pound of hot Turkey sausage and 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef for the meats, and I added 1/4 tsp. of crushed red pepper and a 1/2 cup of red wine. Yum! A new favorite!

My wife and kids love it! Have made this sauce a couple of times...I add some parmesan rind and a pinch of sugar to sweeten it up slighlty. I go ground beef and veal, and then take hot sausage out of the casing.

This sauce is wonderful. I did add some diced onion and some green pepper to the meat while browning it. I also added fresh basil, thyme and mushrooms to the sauce. Now I would like to add that for all the reviews that claim this is too meaty or changed the types of meat used and gave it a lower rating, READ THE NAME "Grandma's Meat Sauce". It clearly states that this is a very thick meaty sauce. Changing any ingredients or adding some will change the flavor. Most people are not going to use veal at 15.00 a lb but if you want the true flavors of this recipe I suggest you splurge, it will be well worth it. And then you can give it a true rating.

This is the real deal

Great recipe! My personal preference would like it a little more saucy but this tasted great!

This is a really great sauce and I have started using it in other recipes. Very good!! Thank you.

This was very good! I used 1 lb of sweet Italian turkey sausage and 2 lbs of lean ground beef. I also added a diced onion and a apckage of mushrooms, chopped, at the time I added the garlic and like others I added some wine towards the end of the cooking time. I like my sauce a tad sweet and 1/2 tbsp of sugar did the trick. Overall a very good basic meat sauce recipe that can be adjusted to your personal tastes!

A good, flavorful, meaty sauce. Easy to make, easy to eat. ;)

I did it with 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 ground pork. I only simmered it for perhaps an hour, with no procesor. Man did my family rave. I had over seasoned it accidentially and hit it with a dark red wine and it still rocked! What an adaptable recipe thanks for sharing

good basic meat sauce.

The men in my family loved it...I think it was a bit too thick with all the meat. Although, I did not puree it. The flavor was very good. I think next time I will use less meat. But, still yummy!

This was my first attempt at sauce and I loved it. I did add some mushrooms, green pepper, red pepper. And I used ground turkey instead of beef and turkey sausage instead of pork.

Very good!! I only added a little sugar only because we like ours sweeter.

Needed something quick so I changed it a bit...cooked 1 lb hot chicken sausage and 3/4 lb sweet sausage with 1 lb of ground turkey. Then I sauteed lots of sliced garlic with chunked onions and zuchini, removed from pan in order to sautee mushrooms. Used two prepared marinara (TJ's) to which I added dried oregano and parsley then added the above ingredients and simmered together for 30 minutes. spooned over penne pasta. Delicious. Got several requests for recipe!

Followed the recipe and it came out great!

This has been my go-to recipe for meat sauce for over a decade. I always double the recipe to freeze for easy weeknight meals. Works great in any recipe that calls for “spaghetti sauce”.

This is so good!- I used ground veal and beef to avoid the final step of the food processor and it came out great! I also added a little sugar b/c I like my sauce a little sweet. It was a lot of sauce- enough for a small baked ziti last night- a large one for the freezer and then for spaghetti tonight! I will make again and again! Thanks!

Excellent & tasty sauce. Usually just make up sauce from scratch. My friend enjoyed this almost as much. He likes "hot" included in his food, I used 2 small serano peppers chopped finely. Came out great!!

Turned out great I added more veggies to it

Delicious. I’ve varied the meats depending on what i have available, but the outcome is always delicious.

EXCELLENT!!! I did make a couple minor changes, I used 1 lb of sweet italin sausage and 2lbs of lean ground beef. I also added 1 sweet diced onion while browning the meat. The sauce was very thick and meaty which is exactly what I was going for. Thanks for such a great recipe!!

Excellent sauce. I add cooked onion and peppers to the sauce. This also crockpots nicely for me. I cook the meat then add all the ingredients to the slow cooker then 4 hours on low. Perfect.

Hello, I made this tonight, as is, no changes, this is my first time ever making a homemade sauce and I loved it but most importantly my family loved it especially my kids, it was silent for a few minutes which I savored while sipping on my wine...anyways; thanks for this recipe, I will put this in the family favorite rotation and plan to make it often :)

I've made this many times. I add one small yellow onion in the beginning then blend two fresh tomatoes and a 6 oz tomato paste to add with the sauce, finally I put a splash of red wine, pinch of sugar, and a splash of red wine vinegar before the two hour simmer. I also like many skip the veal and just do ground beef and sausage. Excellent!

This one's a keeper! I added a small diced onion, fresh basil and a splash of red wine and let it simmer for most of the day. The house smelled wonderful and tasted even better. I served this over cheese ravioli with Jo's Rosemary Bread. FANTASTIC!

Awesome sauce. Whenever I have time, I make this sauce. It's much better than any sauce you can buy already made in a jar.

The most amazing meatsauce! My friend who's father is from Italy even loved it and asked for the recipe. Make it all the time now! Yum.

Yummo! Made a few changes as others suggested. I used the sweet Italian sausage and then for the rest of the meat I used hamburger and added a little bit of onion when cooking the meat. Also, putting it in the blender makes the meat not quite so chunky...I had never done that before so it was fun to try and I'm glad I did. I also added some brown sugar to the sauce while simmering to give it a little sweeter taste. This makes a lot of sauce!! Am going to freeze the remainder to put in other Italian dishes. Great recipe!!

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