Did you know the Italians have this most wonderful thing called “sauce day”? (Well, that’s what we call it; they call it passata day.) The whole family gathers with the year’s crop of tomatoes, and they spend the day making a giant batch of tomato sauce in the biggest pots I’ve ever seen. Can you imagine the aromas that must be wafting out of every kitchen in town??
(I actually first learned of Sauce Day from an episode of Curious George when the Kiddo was little. It was one of the only shows we could stand to watch on repeat; way to go public television! But I digress…)
Anyway, now I like to pretend I’m Italian and have my own Sauce Days here at home. Sometimes I do plain marinara. Sometimes I do meat sauce. All the time the house smells amazing, and I’m doing a little happy dance all over the kitchen. (And the fact that I have a freezer full of sauce is pretty fabulous too!)
The meat sauce my mom used to make is one of those “family-famous” kind of things. Oh is that Karen’s meat sauce? It was our go-to pasta sauce for spaghetti or lasagnas. Of course, she didn’t actually write anything down, but with the memories of cooking by her side and a little bit of tinkering, I nailed down a pretty exact copy a few years ago. You’ll find it down below. (You can find my plain marinara recipe here.)
My current favorite way of using the meaty marinara sauce is in something I like to call Not-Lasagna. It came about one day when actual lasagna was on the meal plan, but then I didn’t feel like dealing with the lasagna noodles or the layering of the sauces, so in a moment of laziness (inspired by the method from a Greek pastitsio) I just mixed all the meat sauce with some shell shaped pasta from the pantry, spread it in a dish, and poured the cheese filling all over the top. It was glorious. Hearty, meaty pasta on the bottom and rich cheese sauce blanketing the top. I may never go back to actual lasagna. That recipe is down below for you too.
I encourage you to have a Sauce Day of your own. Use my recipe or your own favorite. My only requirements - a big pot, good freezer containers, and a loaf of crusty bread for swiping every last bit.
MONDAY - Orecchiette with White Bolognese and Capers
I’m working on a recipe for a white bolognese (a meat sauce without the tomatoes) tossed with pasta and capers and plenty of parmesan cheese.
TUESDAY - Pork Roast, Crispy Potatoes, and Italian Style Green Beans
I’ve had a picnic pork roast hanging in my freezer for a while because I wasn’t really sure what to do with it, but conveniently, one of the cookbooks I got for Christmas had a great looking recipe. I’ll have the time for the “low and slow” roasting method, but if you didn’t, it’s a great weekend option!
WEDNESDAY - Family Valentine’s Dinner
I love to do a special fancy-ish family dinner on Valentine’s Day, and this year I got some of those individual bacon-wrapped filet mignons. I think I’ll do a mushroom sauce to go over the top. Baked potatoes and wedge salads on the side, and I’m going to try this flourless chocolate cake from King Arthur Baking for dessert!
THURSDAY - Slow Cooker Butter Chicken and Rice
Butter chicken is an Indian dish similar to Tikka Masala (which we love!), so I’ll let this cook slow all day, then shred the chicken into the sauce and serve it over jasmine rice.
FRIDAY - Leftovers
We should have plenty of leftovers from this week that need to be eaten, so I’m swapping Friday Night Pickup to Saturday because…
SATURDAY - Saturday Night Pick-Up
…the Kiddo’s archery tournament for this weekend is later than usual, and we will have to grab something on the way.
SUNDAY - Dinner at Dad’s
I really don’t know what the plan will be. But after writing this newsletter, I might have to encourage a big pasta dinner.
LUNCHES for this week - Chicken Noodle Soup
I have leftover chicken noodle soup from our “soup-er bowl” Sunday, and the wacky Tennessee fake spring turning into rain turning into maybe snow has me feeling blech. Curling up with chicken noodle soup all week is just what I need.
EXTRAS for this week
We’ve run through my freezer stash of chocolate chip cookies, so I need to reload! I’ll make a batch of my Everyday Chocolate Chip Cookies (from this post back in October), freeze the dough scoops, and be ready to bake on demand!
Meaty Marinara Sauce
Makes about 3 quarts (12 cups).
· 2 pounds Ground Beef
· 1 pound ground Italian Sausage
· 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
· 1 large Onion, diced
· 3 cloves Garlic, minced
· 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
· 1 cup Red Wine
· 1 can (28 ounces) Crushed Tomatoes
· 1 can (28 ounces) Diced Tomatoes
· 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
· 3 tablespoons White Sugar
· 1 ½ tablespoons dried Basil
· 1 tablespoon dried Oregano
· 2 teaspoons kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· ½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
In a large pot over medium-high heat, add ground beef and sausage and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Brown the meat, breaking up the pieces with your spoon, until cooked through. Drain and set aside.
In the same pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes until soft. Stir in minced garlic and cook for just 30 seconds more.
Add tomato paste and red wine and stir until well combined and liquid comes to a simmer.
Add the ground beef and sausage back to the pot along with the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, sugar, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir well and return to a simmer.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and cook the sauce for about one and a half hours, stirring occasionally.
NOTES: The sauce can be enjoyed now and/or saved for later. I usually divide it into two or three containers for the freezer.
“Not-Lasagna” Pasta Casserole
Makes one 9x13 casserole.
Casserole
· 6 cups Meaty Marinara Sauce
· 1 pound medium size Shell Shape Pasta
· Cheese Sauce, see below
· ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Cheese Sauce
· 2 tablespoons Butter
· 2 tablespoons all-purpose Flour
· 2 cloves Garlic, minced
· ¼ teaspoon ground Nutmeg
· ½ teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· ¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· 2 cups Whole Milk
· 1 cup shredded Mozzarella
· 1 cup grated Parmesan
· 1 cup whole milk Ricotta Cheese
· 1 large Egg, room temperature
Preheat the oven to 350 and arrange a rack in the middle position. Coat a deep 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the shell shaped pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, make the cheese sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then whisk in the flour to make a paste. Add the garlic, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and cook for one minute.
Slowly whisk in the milk a little bit at a time until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in mozzarella cheese and one cup of parmesan cheese until melted.
Stir in the ricotta cheese and then whisk in the egg until well combined.
In the pasta pot or a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta with the six cups of meaty marinara sauce. (The sauce can be cold if you have made it ahead of time, no need to heat it.) Spread the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish.
Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta mixture in the baking dish and use a spatula to spread it evenly. Sprinkle with the remaining half cup of parmesan cheese.
Bake for about one hour until the top starts to brown and the casserole is bubbly around the edges.
NOTES: As always, you can make this in a couple of smaller pans for a “one for me, one for a friend” situation. (Or you can be your own friend by popping that extra one in the freezer for later!)
Yum Yum Yum! We're always prepared to volunteer as tasters for any of the above (just no brocolli, please!).