Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

It's September. Wow. Where did August go? July? June? Did they actually happen? I don't believe it! For the past few weeks I've been trying to hold onto the last bits of summer, wishing it would stay just a bit longer. However, every time September rolls around, I start to get the itch for cooler weather. School is back in session (bouquets of sharpened pencils!), college football, apples will soon be abundant, I get to where my beloved boots, and comfort food starts to seem like more appropriate dinner time fare.

My teacher has mentioned before that your mom's spaghetti will always be the best to you, which is true. However, I don't think my mom has a set spaghetti recipe (sorry if I'm wrong mom!), and everything she made was (and still is) the best, but I think it's because she made it, not necessarily the recipe itself. I believe my mom would love this version I'm sharing with you today. Tons of peppers and mushrooms, wine, spicy Italian sausage and ground turkey, it's truly delicious, and worthy of your time. This recipe makes a very large amount (I'm guessing at least 10 servings), but that was ideal for me as I am trying to stock my freezer for the semester. Maybe there will be some left when she visits next month and we can enjoy this wonderful sauce together! Happy Labor Day!  

P.S. My Tahini-Dressed Zucchini and Green Bean Salad won last month's challenge for No-Croutons Required (a tie with another beautiful dish). How cool is that!?! 

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

20 oz sliced mushrooms

1.5 lbs ground turkey (or beef)

1 lb hot Italian sausage

1 28-ounce can marinara or tomato puree

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 24-ounce can tomato sauce

BIG splash red wine (in the end, I probably added about a cup)

6 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried basil

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp sugar

About 1.5 tablespoons garlic salt

Pepper as needed

Spaghetti noodles & additional grated cheese for serving

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, bell peppers and sliced mushrooms. Saute for about six to eight minutes, until mushrooms are soft. Add ground beef and sausage meat. Cook until meat browns, stirring frequently with a large rubber spatula.

Add marinara, tomato paste, and tomato sauce to the pot. Stir well. Then, add the wine, cheese, spices, bay leaf, sugar. garlic salt, and pepper. Stir well and bring sauce to a simmer.

Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for an hour and a half over low heat, stirring occasionally. Taste it as you cook, adding more wine, spices, or garlic salt to suite your taste buds.

Serve sauce over hot spaghetti noodles with extra cheese. Sauce can be refrigerated for up to five days or frozen for up to three months. Sauce will taste better the next day, after flavors have time to meld.

Recipe Source: Eat Live Run