Double-Duty Cooking: All Purpose Italian Red Sauce

Italian red sauce is completely versatile and easy to make. The same recipe can be used for spaghetti with meat sauce or meatballs, lasagna, meatball sandwiches or Johnny Marzetti. Why not save time in the kitchen by making a large batch of sauce and freezing portions for later?

Double-duty cooking only adds a few minutes of time to one meal, but can save hours later when you only need to pull a container of sauce out of the freezer and heat it up. My Italian red sauce recipe makes one gallon of sauce.

All-purpose Italian Red Sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups diced onions
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 28-ounce can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons each Kosher salt, dried thyme, ground rosemary and paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons Frank's Red Hot sauce
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 bay leaves

In a large stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onions in the olive oil until they are translucent, then add the garlic and shallot. Stir often to prevent the garlic from scorching. Add the red wine vinegar to deglaze the pot, stirring well.

Add the remaining ingredients and bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about one hour. Taste the sauce after the first half-hour and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Cool and package in one-quart (or smaller) containers and freeze.

To make spaghetti with meat sauce, brown one pound of lean ground beef or bulk Italian sausage in a large saucepan. Drain any fat off of the browned meat and add one quart of thawed spaghetti sauce. Simmer until heated through and serve over cooked pasta with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a salad. If you like meatballs, I have a great recipe for make-ahead meatballs that can be found here.

Johnny Marzetti is known by many names but the core ingredients are the same - cooked pasta, sauce, ground beef and cheese. It can be baked as a casserole or made simply on the stovetop.

Johnny Marzetti for Six
8 ounces elbow macaroni or rotini, cooked and drained
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained of fat
1 quart Italian red sauce
8 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¾ cup bread crumbs

In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, browned beef, sauce and Mozzarella cheese. Mix well and then turn into a large casserole dish that has been prepared with non-stick spray. Combine the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake the Johnny Marzetti at 350 degrees about 30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly.

If you'd like to make a stovetop version, brown the beef in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the sauce, drained pasta and Mozzarella cheese. Stir often until the dish is heated through and the cheese is melted. Leave out the bread crumbs but sprinkle Parmesan cheese over individual servings.

More from Debbie Henthorn
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