Sweet Sausage and Basil Spaghetti Sauce

 It's my dream to someday travel to Italy and experience the culture, the different cuisines, and the flavor influences of the different regions.  I could eat Italian several days a week and not grow tired of it. My oldest daughter is the same way. The child could eat pasta for every meal and still want more!

One of my "go to" meals on a regular basis (at least once every other week, or so) is pasta and meat sauce.  At home it's just referred to as "red sauce." We also enjoy my famous "white sauce" (Alfredo) pretty regularly as well. Sometimes on the same night!

I quit buying bottled spaghetti sauce a long time ago. Probably about the time I was home with my, then infant, daughter Madison. I had plenty of time to do "nothing" everyday while I was sitting and nursing her every 2 hrs. I found myself watching a lot of cooking shows and remember discovering Emeril. I loved that show! He made "real" food that looked amazing and relatively easy to prepare. Thus began my culinary adventures in the kitchen. After a few mediocre attempts at a homemade meat sauce, I came up with a 'no fail' recipe that was easy to duplicate each time. The only change I make now is the use of sausage or not. This recipe uses sausage.

I've used different types of sausage and really do prefer the depth of flavor that sausage gives this sauce. I've used mild italian links, sweet italian links, mild italian ground, and I've even used regular old Farmer John Breakfast Sausage links because they're less expensive than other variations of sausage. This recipe uses the sausage links 'doctored' with herbs.

Sweet Sausage and Basil Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:
1 - 8 oz. package Breakfast Sausage Links
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp basil (fresh, or dried. I prefer fresh but use dried as well)
1 - 1.5 lbs ground meat (I use turkey)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 (or more) garlic cloves, crushed
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 - 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 - 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning
1 tsp basil
1 Tbs sugar (optional)


Chop the sausage into 1 inch pieces.

Place the sausage in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and the basil. Stir and cook til just browned.

Add the ground meat and stir. Cook until ground meat is browned. Add chopped onions and pressed garlic. I use a garlic press that I absolutely love! One of the best kitchen gadgets ever.

Cook and stir the onions, garlic, and meats until the onions begin to soften. Add the tomato paste. I want to share a little cooking trick I learned... probably on some cooking show... Open the top of the paste can and remove the 'lid.' Turn the can over and open the bottom of the can as well. Hold the can over your sauce pot and press the paste through the can like a 'Push-Pop.' Remove the lid from the paste and voila! All the paste comes out of the can without much effort at all. ºÜº

Stir the paste into the meat until well incorporated and let it simmer for a minute or so to "melt." [It doesn't really melt, but once it warms and blends into the meat it's almost like it melts ;) ]

Add the diced tomatoes and stir. Let the mixture simmer for about 5-10 mins, or until the tomatoes begin to break up. You can also use some kitchen shears to snip the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Once the tomatoes are broken down, add the 2 cans of sauce and the rest of the herbs and the sugar. The sugar is optional. In my family, we like a sweet sauce. The sugar cuts the acid of the canned tomatoes though.

Cover your pot and let the sauce simmer on LOW for at least an hour. The longer it simmers the better the flavor.