Friday, Saturday, Sunday Sugo

I like to pretend I grew up visiting my Italian Nona, who would make magical, secretive, simmering sauces like this Sugo. My family entertainment usually took on the form of lobster races and making Steamers laugh, but those stories are for another time. Don’t wait until Sunday to make this delicious sauce. And if you’re watching your carb intake, try serving it over roasted Spaghetti squash. Think of the added bonus – roasted squash seeds!!

Sunday Sugo
Courtesy of Cook's Country's Lost Recipes

(Makes enough for 3 pounds of pasta. Gah! Freeze leftovers in individually portioned Ziploc bags.)

3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 lb Hot Italian Sausages (4-6 links), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb Sweet Italian Sausages (4-6 links), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb boneless Beef Chuck-Eye Roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and Pepper
3 Onions, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped (I do not like green peppers – I substituted orange)
1 (6-oz) can Tomato Paste
8 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tbsp Fresh Oregano, minced
1-2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 lb 93% Lean Ground Beef
3 (28-oz) cans Crushed Tomatoes (San Marzano as always!)
1 (14.5-oz) can Diced Tomatoes “”
½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Plain Dried Bread Crumbs (I used Panko)
½ cup Fresh Basil, chopped

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the sausages and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a bowl.

Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon more oil in the pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the beef to the bowl with the sausages.

Head the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, bell peppers, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until the tomato paste begins to brown, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add the ground beef, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, breaking up any large clumps, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, cheese, sugar, and bread crumbs. Return the sausages and beef, along with any accumulated juices, to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Uncover and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened, about 1 hour longer.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the basil. Mangia!

For a printable version of this recipe, please click here.