Lauren's Italian Meat Sauce

I'm going to share my recipe for meat sauce that I use for everything Italian... including spaghetti, manicotti, baked ziti, lasagna, etc. That way I can link back to this sauce recipe when I write out my other Italian recipes!

One batch of this can be used for two Italian meals, so you can stick half of this in the fridge/freezer for later use. :)

1 lb Sweet Italian sausage
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (12 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley


In a large pot, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium high heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (It can be cooked for less time, but 1 hour is best to let all the seasonings marinate!)