This pasta sauce can be made meatless if you wish. I made it with extra-lean ground beef (you could use ground turkey or chicken as well). I served it over whole wheat rotini pasta, with a generous sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Add a side salad and you've got a healthy, balanced meal. This recipe makes about 5 litres of sauce.Ingredients:
2 tbsps olive oil
1 lb extra lean ground beef, chicken or turkey (if using)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
2 cans (28 oz each) Italian-style plum tomatoes in puree, diced (if using whole canned tomatoes, just pour the contents of the can into a dish and use a pair of scissors to chop them into about 1 inch pieces)
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
3 heaping tbsps tomato paste
2 tbsps red wine or red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp dried chili peppers
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1. In large dutch oven or saucepot, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add ground meat and break up with a fork. Stir and cook until about almost done and meat is just slightly pink. Add onion and cook until tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.
2. Add tomatoes with puree, chicken broth, salt, and pepper to meat mixture; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium. Add tomato paste and red wine & stir to incorporate; cover and cook five minutes. Add chili peppers & basil; reduce temperature to low and cook, partially covered for one hour, stirring occasionally.
