Lots o' Veggies Sausage Spaghetti Sauce
Description
Italian sausage and ground beef are simmered with tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots and garlic and herbed with basil, oregano and thyme in this slowly cooked rich sauce.
Ingredients
•
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
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1 pound lean ground beef
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1/4 cup olive oil
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1 large onion, diced
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12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
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2 carrots, shredded
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1 green bell pepper, diced
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1 red bell pepper, diced
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1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
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1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
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4 ounces fresh basil, julienned
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4 cloves garlic, crushed
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1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
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1 tablespoon fresh oregano
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1 tablespoon white sugar
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salt and pepper to taste
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3 (28 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
Directions
1
Cook sausage and ground beef in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned and crumbly, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain.
2
Heat oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, and zucchini; cook until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
3
Add sausage and beef mixture to the pot, then stir in spinach, basil, garlic, thyme, oregano, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 to 5 minutes, then pour in tomatoes and stir well. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours.