I LOVE having homemade spaghetti sauce in the freezer. It’s the perfect quick, homey, hearty comfort food. Plus, it’s one of Nate’s favorites!

Mind you, this makes a TON! 6 quarts! Which makes it great for freezing.

KATE’S SPAGHETTI SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

• Ground beef or venison
• Italian sausage (I use venison Italian sausage here)
• EVOO
• Diced yellow onions
• Diced peppers
• Minced garlic
• White wine
• Tomato paste
• Diced tomatoes
• Crushed tomatoes
• Store-bought marinara sauce
• Dried oregano
• Dried thyme
• Sugar
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Bay leaves
• Kosher salt
• 1-2 Parmesan rinds (I always throw my Parm rinds in the freezer for this exact purpose!)

GET YOURSELF A BIG POT. I mean BIG! You are about to make 24 cups of spaghetti sauce. **Don’t be scared, your freezer is going to LOVE you!!**

HOW TO MAKE KATE’S SPAGHETTI SAUCE:

• STEP 1: In a large sauté pan, brown all the meat, then remove from the pan and drain and discard the fat.

• STEP 2: Sauté the onion, pepper, and garlic in the EVOO and after about 5 minutes or so, add the white wine and cook for 2 more minutes.

• STEP 3: Transfer the cooked onions and peppers to the largest pot you own and add allllllll the cans and jars of tomato products.

• STEP 4: Add all the seasonings and the Parm rind.

• STEP 5: Add the beef back in.

• STEP 6: Stir and allow all to simmer as long as you are able. I do about 4-6 hours!

• STEP 7: Spoon out the Parm rind and bay leaves. Serve over spaghetti noodles with loads of grated Parm!

• STEP 8: Freeze whatever is leftover in whatever portion size works best for you.

NOTES, SUBS, AND ADDITIONS:

• You can use all beef if you don’t want any sausage.
• You could also cook some pasta and go about making some spaghetti casseroles at the same time. Your freezer is going to cry such tears of JOY!
• Want it to be gluten free or lower carb? Use this sauce to have a lovely little spaghetti squash boat!
• If you don’t have a large sauté pan, you can cook the meat, onions, and peppers in the large pot.
• To freeze your leftovers, let them cool completely, transfer to freezer-friendly containers (like large Ziplocs), write the date on them, and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stovetop.

Kate’s Spaghetti Sauce

Recipe by Kate

This spaghetti sauce is meaty and homey — it’s truly comfort food at its finest. It also makes a HUGE batch (6 quarts!), so you can have dinner tonight and stock the freezer all at the same time.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef (or venison; I do 2 pounds ground venison burger)

• 1 pound Italian sausage (I use venison Italian sausage here)

• 3 tablespoons EVOO

• 2 yellow onions, diced

• 2 peppers (any pepper colors you like), diced

• 6 cloves garlic, minced (I use 6 TJ’s frozen cubes of minced garlic)

• 1 cup white wine

• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

• 3 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

• 2 (24- to 28-ounce) jars store-bought marinara sauce of choice

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 5 bay leaves

• 3 teaspoons salt

• 1-2 Parmesan rinds (I always throw my Parm rinds in the freezer for this exact purpose!)

Directions

• In a large sauté pan, brown all the meat. Once browned, remove the meat from the pan, and drain and discard the fat.
• Add the EVOO to the pan and warm over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the white wine and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Transfer the onion and pepper mixture to the largest pot you have. Next, add allllllll the cans and jars of tomato products to the pot.
• Add all the seasonings and the Parm rind.
• Add the beef back in.
• Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer. Stir and let the sauce simmer as long as you are able. I do about 4-6 hours!
• Spoon out the Parm rind and bay leaves. Serve over spaghetti noodles with loads of grated Parm!
• Once completely cool, freeze whatever is leftover in whatever portion size works best for you.

Notes

• GET YOURSELF A BIG POT. I mean BIG! You are about to make 24 cups of spaghetti sauce. Don’t be scared, your freezer is going to LOVE you!!
• For the first two steps, I prefer to use my large sauté pan. I then transfer the onion/pepper mixture to my giant pasta pot so that in step 3 I can add all the tomato products. If you don’t have a large sauté pan, you can cook them in the big pot instead!
• You could also cook some pasta and go about making some spaghetti casseroles at the same time. Your freezer is going to cry such tears of JOY!
• Want it gluten free or lower carb? Use this sauce to have a lovely little spaghetti squash boat!
• You can use all beef if you don’t want any sausage.

Other posts you may like:

Creamy Tomato-Basil Pasta Sauce (in the Vitamix) Two M Pasta Treat Aunt Mary Louise’s Noodle Pie Simple Butternut Squash Soup