Sunday was a nice relaxing day at home, so I thought I would make an easy slow cook home made sauce for spaghetti night. Fall is here, which means I will probably be making lots of stews, soups, sauces, chili, braised meats, etc. It also means that my dutch oven and crock pot are going to be my main kitchen tools for the colder upcoming weather. I love how I can put something in the crock pot in the morning and come home 8 hours later and dinner is already made! Weekend cooking also becomes all day cooking. I can braise some short ribs all day and have fall apart meat hours later with equally delicious sauce to dip my crusty bread in . The smell of all the flavors mixing together creates a deep intense smell and flavor that cannot be beat!
Mushroom and Meat Sauce:
This makes 3 batches for our family of 5.
First diced up 1 onion and 1/2 head of garlic. Cook that for a few minutes in a bit of butter and olive oil mix. Then add an entire 16 oz. container of mushrooms to your dutch oven. Cook that down for a bit. Add plenty of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram). Then add 1 28 oz. can of tomato sauce, 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, 1 28 oz. can of crushed plum tomatoes, 4 squirts of tomato paste, 1/3 bottle of red wine, and 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire, 2 pats of butter, and about 3 tablespoons sugar. The wine and Worcestershire just give it an extra layer of flavor, especially since you are making mushroom and meat (beef)in it. The butter and the sugar help to add a bit of sweetness to the sauce and mellow the acidity of the tomato a bit.
Cook for 2-4 hours. The longer the better. Add in browned ground beef and cook another 1/2 hour or so. Serve with spaghetti or your favorite pasta.
Fun Foodie Family 
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