Ray's Spaghetti Sauce (Updated August 2022)
Abbreviations:
tsp – teaspoon = 5 mL
tbs – tablespoon = 15 mL
lb – pound = 454 g = 0.454 kg
Ingredients:
Quantities are approximate
1 cup Chopped vegetables
2 Onions - medium sized
2 tsp Butter
2 lbs 1 kg Minced Beef or Minced Pork
Salt
Pepper
Basil
Oregano
Rosemary Leaves
Bay Leaves
Ground Ginger
Garlic Powder
Tabasco Sauce to taste
4 cans Diced Tomatoes - each can is 28 oz liq (796 mL)
3 cans Tomato Paste - each can is 5.5 oz liq (156 mL)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup Sugar OR
1/4 cup Honey
2 oz 100 g Cheese
Istructions:
1. Add the chopped vegetables to boiling water. Boil until desired tenderness (about 10 minutes). Then strain.
2. Sauté onions in butter until onions start to brown.
3. Add minced beef or minced pork. Use a wooden spoon to break any chunks of meat.
4. Add the Dry Ingredients to taste. Remember you will be diluting the taste with
tomatoes. Use a mortar and pestle or other grinding device to grind the rosemary
leaves to a powder. Stir constantly.
5. Add Tabasco Sauce to taste.
6. Use high heat. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon until you do not see
any melted fat. As soon as you see a dry bottom, quickly add a can of tomatoes and
stir.
7. Add the rest of the tomatoes stirring constantly.
8. Add the tomato paste and stir until dissolved.
9. Add the baking soda and stir. You will see bubbles rising to the surface. This is from
carbon dioxide gas from the carbonic acid in the tomatoes. This diminishes the acidity
found in most tomato sauces.
10. Add the sugar or honey and stir.
11. Add the cheese and stir. It may take a while for the cheese to melt. This will thicken
your sauce as well as adding to the taste.
At this point you may want to taste the sauce and adjust any spices.
12. Add the chopped vegetables. Stir and simmer for about 45 minutes.
Note: This recipe makes about 4 imperial quarts (4 L). I make
this amount because usually I use more than half of it to make lasagna, a lot of
lasagna.
Options:
Want a vegetarian sauce? Just skip the minced beef and/or pork. Add the spices to the
tomatoes and tomato paste.
Want to go vegan? Skip the meat and cheese and replace the butter with a splash of vegatable oil.
Enjoy!
Click here for a pdf of this recipe.