Donatellis Meat Sauce Recipes

MANNY'S MANLY MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a deep skillet or heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Go once around the pan with a slow stream of extra virgin olive oil. Add crushed pepper flakes and infuse oil 10 seconds. Add beef, onions, garlic, and seasonings. Brown meat for 5 minutes; add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes more. Add wine and reduce 1 minute. Add broth and tomatoes to sauce and reduce heat to low. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes to combine flavors. Toss pasta with half of the sauce and serve with extra sauce for topping. Pass grated Parmesan or Romano and warm crusty bread at the table.

MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and sausage until totally browned. Remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and put it into a bowl. Set aside.
• Discard any grease in the pot, but do not clean the pot. Drizzle in the olive oil. When it is heated, throw in the onions and bell peppers. Stir it around for 1 1/2 minutes, and then add the garlic. Stir and cook for an additional minute.
• Pour in the wine and allow it to bubble up and reduce for about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, marinara sauce and tomato paste. Stir to combine, and then add the sugar, salt, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper if using and bay leaves. Stir, and then add the cooked ground beef and sausage and stir to combine. Place the lid on the pot and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add a little water or some low-sodium broth if it needs more liquid.
• After an hour, add the minced parsley and the Parmesan rind if using (or grated Parmesan if you prefer--or both!). Stir to combine, and then put the lid back on and allow it to simmer for another 30 minutes or so. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
• Serve a big bowl of oiled noodles and the meat sauce so guests can serve themselves. Top each serving with minced parsley and grated Parmesan (or Parmesan shavings) and serve with a big piece of garlic-cheese bread.

BAKED MOSTACCIOLI

Steps:

• 1. To make the sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, garlic, salt to taste, and the pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the beef is browned. Set aside.
• 2. Heat the rest of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring a bit, until soft. Stir in all of the tomato products. Fill the tomato puree can with hot water, and stir in the beef and chicken base to dissolve. Add the mixture to the saucepan along with the Parmesan, steak seasoning, garlic salt, basil, and parsley, and bring to a simmer.
• 3. Add the beef to the sauce, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Taste and add salt, if necessary.
• 4. To make the baked pasta: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate.
• 5. Toss the cooked pasta with 2 cups of the meat sauce and 11/2 cups each of the mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses. Mound the mixture in the pie dish and top with the rest of the meat sauce and the mozzarella and Cheddar. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet, and bake until bubbling and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Top with the Parmesan cheese and serve hot.