RAGU MEAT SAUCE NUTRITION RECIPES

Steps:

• Begin by prepping your vegetables. Remove the stem, ribs, and seeds from the bell peppers, then dice. Peel the onion, and dice. Mince the garlic. Finely dice the mushrooms.
• Next, add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the ground meat. Break apart with your spatula as it cooks. When cooked through, use a slotted spoon to remove the meat to a bowl, and set aside. Give the Dutch oven a light wipe with a paper towel leaving some of the cooking fat behind.
• Return the Dutch oven to medium heat, and add the onions and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until the onion and pepper have softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and cook about 5 more minutes.  Spoon in the tomato paste, and sauté with the vegetables, stirring constantly until it deepens slightly in color, about 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar and spices, and stir all the ingredients together well. Stir in the red wine, scraping the bottom of the Dutch oven to remove any brown bits. Cook about 5 more minutes to allow the alcohol to cook off.
• Add the diced tomatoes and cooked meat, then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then turn to low, and cover. Continue to simmer covered over low heat about two hours, stirring occasionally.

Steps:

• Put onions, carrots, celery, butter and oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned, 8 to 15 minutes.
• Add ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and continue stirring until the meat has lost its red color, about 4 minutes.
• Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has almost completely evaporated, 18 to 25 minutes. Add milk and nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk has mostly evaporated, 12 to 18 minutes.
• Coarsely chop tomatoes and add them and their juice to the pot. Once the tomatoes have started bubbling, reduce the heat to low so that the sauce is barely simmering. Cook uncovered for 4 hours, stirring occasionally. If all the liquid evaporates before the cooking time is up, add water 1/2 cup at a time as needed. After 4 hours, make sure all the liquid has evaporated before you remove the sauce from the heat. Blot or skim any fat from the surface before serving.